During the wee hours of this morning, my mind was filled with thoughts. I needed to take some time to sort them out- to pray and meditate on the things running steadily through it.
As I layed on the picnic table on my patio and gazed at the stars, my mind wandered to Psalm 147:2-5...
"The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit." 
The past few months, I have been beating myself up because of criticism from others; for feeling overwhelmed by all of my responsibilities, and for not being able to live up to my own expectations and the expectations of others.
I allowed my focus to be shifted to living for others rather than living solely for Christ and Christ alone. I feel like there are times in our lives when we become so consumed with the way others view us that we forget our purpose is not to be perfect Christians but to be understanding towards others, to show them the same grace, love and mercy that Christ has shown and continues to show for us.
I finally realized something as I was laying there on that picnic table under each of those stars that our God created, numbered and named. I realized that the moment we accept that we will not always live up to the expectations of others or ourselves, is the moment we can stop beating ourselves up and find true peace and rest in Christ, and the grace and mercy that He has so richly poured out upon our lives.
God knew we would never be perfect. That is why He sent his Son.
He knew that our time on earth would  be filled with trials of all sorts and that it would be especially difficult for us as believers.  He also knew there would be times of joy and sadness; triumph and dissapointment; times when we would need the truest kind of compassion, understanding and encouragement- the kind that we can only find in Him.
I believe Mr. C.H. Spurgeon said it best when he said,
 "The hill of comfort is the hill of Calvary; the house of consolation is built with the wood of the cross; the temple of heavenly blessing is founded upon the riven rock—riven by the spear which pierced His side. No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like Calvary's tragedy . . . You who have had your seasons of conflict, will confess that it was not at Olivet that you ever found comfort, not on the hill of Sinai, nor on Tabor; but Gethsemane, Gabbath, and Golgotha have been a means of comfort to you. The bitter herbs of Gethsemane have often taken away the bitters of your life; the scourge of Gabbatha has often scourged away your cares; and the groans of Calvary yield us comfort rare and rich."
I know I may not be the perfect wife, mother, child, grandchild, or friend...or perfect at anything really; but I am created by a perfect, most holy, loving, understanding, compassionate Heavenly Father and with that knowledge, I can rest assured everything will be just fine!