holiday honesty.

1. For the whole month of December “school” has been nothing more than a good intention, an uncrossed item on my to-do list.

2. That tired old condemning voice is whispering in my ear: You don’t deserve to homeschool your kids . . . you’re messing them up . . . you’re a failure.

3. I’m eating way too much dairy and sugar and feeling the effects.

4. I’ve gone running a grand total of one time this month.

5. I swore off household cleaning chemicals a year ago but this week, out of sheer desperation, I purchased a bottle of bleach for the mildew in our bathtub.

6. I don’t think I’ve changed my kids’ bedsheets in a month.

7. I’m not disciplining consistently. I’m snapping a whole lot over behavior and not taking time to sit and talk about the heart issue.

[Deep breath]

Boy am I thankful that Christmas is not all about my ability to have it all together.

In fact, I was just realizing that Christmas is exactly because of my inability to have it all together.

Christmas is because I’m a sinful mess and I can’t possibly homeschool and eat healthy and exercise and keep house organically and parent my way to righteousness.

Christmas is because I need a Rescuer. We all need a Rescuer.

Let’s you and I let our Rescuer — rather than our performance — be the cause of our celebration and joy this month, shall we?