God's grace frees us from wearying, self-generated endeavors and releases us to allow the Holy Spirit within "giving us the desire and power to do what pleases Him." (Philippians 2:13)

The other day I had one of those melt-down kind of moments that resulted in me sitting on the kitchen floor in tears. I don’t always share the tears or the hard days, because let’s face it, we all have them! They are a part of life, but I felt led to share this moment because I knew would encourage others!

My morning started off busy with a to-do-list a mile long, and I knew I had to get it all done before lunch time. I try hard to keep my priorities in line so I don’t get to the place where I'm totally overwhelmed- but this particular morning I let my to-do list get the best of me.

In the middle of my to-do's, Maddie asked me if she could have a smoothie, and I replied, "Of course sweetie." I stopped everything to make a quick smoothie- or so I thought. I decided to make a BIG batch of smoothies so I could give her some now, and save some for later. So I threw enough ingredients into the blender to fill it to the top, and blended away. I poured it into individual cups and served one to Maddie, and just as quickly as I was walking away, she told me she didn’t like it, and handed it back to me.

Now, some moms in this scenario may say, well too that's too bad- but being that I’m Dashing Dish, something in me just has to make the food taste good! ;) So, I threw another dose of ingredients into the blender, and gave Maddie a sample before pouring it into cups. She tasted it and said she liked it! Phew! So, I poured her a glass and filled the others for later.

About one minute later, she said, "Mom- don’t like this one either!" And right then and there I broke down and cried.

I cried because the journey of feeding Maddie healthy has felt like an uphill battle since she was two years old. I cried because although I refuse to give up, yet some days I just want to say, why do I try!? I cried because being a mom requires tremendous patience, endurance, and prayers for wisdom; And although this moment was just about a smoothie- It brought up all the exhaustion of being a mom, and also the deep down fears I have about becoming a mom to two.

But mostly, as I sat there and cried, because I realized I was in that place again; The place where I was doing everything in my own strength, outside of God’s grace… And don’t we all sometimes!? As moms, wives, and women in general, it can be easy to get caught up in the to-do’s and forget to let God’s grace lead our day.

When we depend on our self-generated endeavors, we will almost always melt, break down, snap, and crumble. Operating in our own strength always has it’s end point. When we rely on the grace of God and His strength however, He will give us peace, wisdom, joy, and patience beyond ourselves, and His strength has no limits!

After taking a few moments to realize how I had gotten here, I picked myself up, apologized to Maddie, and asked God for forgiveness for walking outside of His grace. I asked that He would pull me close once again, and help me to get my priorities back in order according to what He wills for my life. Most importantly, I put the to-do list away for the rest of the day and played with my little girl, which put fresh wind in my sails.

God’s grace is powerful; But we need to choose it, and remain in it. If you feel you are at your end, you are not alone; But you can also come back to grace just as quickly as you realize you left! His strength is made perfect in our weakness!