Do your best, and hang the rest

I have said that phrase to Tucker, my little first grader today.

He had to read a sentence, then draw a picture to go with that sentence.  Well, not necessarily a sentence, but a phrase.  The first phrase he had was 'a frog on a pond'.  He didn't know how to draw a frog.  So, he asked me.  I am so NOT an artist.  So, I drew an oval, with 4 webbed-ish feet and a smile for a mouth and 2 eyes above the  oval.  And he looked at it like "Mom, that ain't no frog".  He said, I don't think I can.  So I told just do his best and hang the rest.

So many times, in my own life for myself, and for my kids, I find myself expecting more than I should.  More than they can give/do.  More than I can.  I expect perfection.  And I tell myself that is impossible.  That I expect too much from myself, or from them.  But it is so hard to remember at times that we aren't meant to be perfect.  We, in and of our human nature, cannot achieve perfection.  EVER.  No matter what we do, or how hard we try.  But I have a hard time remembering that.  Why is it so much easier to forget that we can't be perfect so we try try and try some more to achieve what is impossible for us? 

God, in HIS infinite love for us knew that we can't achieve that perfection ~ the kind *we* want nor the kind HE wants.  And I'm so thankful that HE doesn't expect me to do it on my own cause I SO can't.   So, I'm trying to live by this motto ~ Do your best and hang the rest.  Because that is all I can do.  And that is all I expect from my guys.  Unfortunately, I had spent way too much time expecting so much from them that they are too hard on themselves.  So together, we are learning this simple yet complex principle.  

And THAT was our lesson for today!