Hey mama, I know you pulled your kids’ lunch from the freezer today and felt a little pang of guilt. The same guilt that follows you around day after day, pulling at you when you’re just trying to get by.

I know you see the pictures on Instagram of kid-themed plates loaded with green veggies and gluten-free alternatives and quietly shame yourself.

I know you feel like a failure and are making mental notes as you watch the microwave plate spin to do better tomorrow and prioritize healthy eating.

I know you added it to your twenty-mile-long mental to-do list, and when you did, the stress got heavier.

I know you felt obligated to add a side on their plates that made up for the main course. I know how you feel.

I know because I’m a chicken nugget mom too.

And from one chicken nugget mom to another, let me tell you something. You cannot be everything all the time. You cannot be perfect to everyone constantly. You cannot have every area of your life pretty-white-Instagram-square ready all the time. You just can’t.

Trust me. With a blog called “The Purposeful Housewife”, I’ve experienced my fair share of pressure from the outside to be perfect in all areas, to have all the answers, and to be the organic hand-picked vegetable mom. And for awhile I tried. But you know what?

My purpose isn’t in how I perform. And neither is yours.

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Purpose lies in how we live out God’s call on our lives. Purpose lies in choosing carefully how we spend our time, what we prioritize; purpose is being intentional.

And hey, good news. There’s nothing intentional about living to impress other people. There’s not an ounce of purpose in legalism – performing works in order to be “in” with God. God is crazy about you right this very moment, and He’s crazy about you while you’re waiting for that microwave to beep. Isn’t that all that matters in this life?

So do I try to feed my kids healthy food? Sure I do. 

Do I have chicken nuggets  in my freezer right now? You bet. And a frozen pizza in the oven. 

Do I place the weight of my worth on whether or not that happens each day? Heck no.

I believe there’s a season for everything because God says there is (Ecclesiastes 3), and if this is your chicken nugget season and not your organic hand-picked vegetable season, who cares? Anyone who cares about your performance must not know Grace.

I know Grace.

I have sat at the feet of Grace and scooped up all I could carry. You can too.

So get those chicken nuggets dished out with pride. You’re feeding your littles and you’re conquering the day like a mom boss.

Your purpose lies in Jesus, sweet mama, not in your performance.