As mothers, we seem to feel the expectations of perfect holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc. are all days where we feel that we need Pintrest worthy decor and perfect table settings. We pose for perfect pictures and try to put on the appearance that we are put together perfectly. In those perfect posts, the million posed pictures, no one sees the cranky kids. No one sees the complaining, whining, all the mess that goes into baking, cooking, and buying presents for everyone. We bear a mental, emotional, and physical load for expectations in life that we put on ourselves. In many ways, we miss the meaning of the holidays that we are celebrating. We miss the purpose of the birth of our savior and his death. He lived and died so that we would be washed clean. He was sinless because we were not. He was perfect because we could not be. Jesus paid a price we could never afford. The perfect presents aren’t important. The table settings do not matter, and the posed pictures are not always our favorite ones. Our lives are not ideal. Social media is not our reality, so take heart, dear mama, when your babies are shouting and there are burnt biscuits that we are not asked to be perfect. We are asked to love and honor the one who is and to love like He loves and to see as he sees. I say this as a mom who is bouncing a fussy baby while writing this and listening to my almost two year old cause chaos for jelly beans. My table may not be beautiful, but my heart is full. Happy Easter