Friends: Three policemen were killed yesterday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You can read my thoughts about this terrible news on my Facebook page. -JD
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Have you ever felt like a trapped monkey?
Neither had I until a friend described to me how other cultures hunt for monkeys.
The hunters hollow out a coconut and fasten it to a tree with a rope. Inside the coconut, they put a small portion of food that can be reached through a small hole. But when the monkeys grab the food, their fists won’t fit back through the hole.
They’re trapped.
But the monkeys aren’t ensnared by anything physical. They’re stuck because they refuse to let go of the one thing they’re holding onto so tightly.
We can act a lot like that, too.
Women in particular often feel intense pressure to be an outstanding wife, a fantastic mother, and to keep a beautiful home all while having a vibrant and meaningful career. They’re chasing an impossible standard based on an ideal woman who doesn’t really exist. No wonder so many women have a hard time accepting failure or embracing the season of life they’re in.
They need to learn to let go.
Our guest on today’s and tomorrow’s program, author and popular speaker Jen Hatmaker, says women can release themselves from unrealistic standards of perfection and learn to embrace God’s grace in their parenting, in their marriage, and in their daily lives.
She urges women to reject the idea of “balance.” Many women are not only struggling to do it all, but to do it all perfectly. Without all of those plates spinning, they feel they’re not achieving anything extraordinary – for God or for themselves. They’re just slogging it out, being a wife, raising children, or working a job that isn’t changing the world.
But what if, in their everyday lives, women used the gifts God has given them and learned to let go of the need to do something extraordinary? What if women understood that God wants to work through their lives right now?
You don’t have to serve the Lord on a grand scale to see the fruit of God’s kingdom in your life. His will for you can be expressed to you daily right where you are in this season and stage of your relationship with Him.
Jen Hatmaker is an author, speaker, well-known blogger, and a pastor’s wife. She and her husband, Brandon, lead Austin New Church in Texas.
Jen will be with us on the next couple of programs we’re calling “Letting Go of Perfection and Accepting God’s Grace.” She’ll help women ask God questions like: “How can I see Your kingdom in my life today?” “Should I speak to someone about You?” “What am I doing with the tasks you’re putting into my hands today?”
Feeling God’s grace and presence in a woman’s daily life can go a long way toward easing some of the pressure she feels … and help her let go.
Hear our conversation with Jen on your local radio station, or tune in anytime online or via our free, downloadable mobile phone app.
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