<h3>Good Enough For Who Its For</h3>

My father-in-law has a saying, "Good enough for who its for!" I often hear him use it when he is fixing something. Nathan and I have taken to saying it from time to time, ourselves. As one who has a tendency to get caught up in perfectionism, this saying often keeps things in perspective for me. My home isn't going to be gracing the pages of a magazine and my linen shelves need not look like Martha Stewart's (with the exception of when the realtor is coming over, wink, wink!). My dinner table looks just fine the way the kids set it and the toys don't have to be perfectly put away. Its good enough for who its for.

But that saying can work the other way, as well. Are you really being good enough to yourself and your family? Too often we save the good sheets, the good towels, the good food, the good dishes, the good clothes, the good attitudes, the good smiles, the good energy, and the good words for those outside our families. The Lord made us responsible to serve our spouses and families before we serve others.

I remember reading in Elizabeth George's book, A Woman after God's Own Heart, that she learned early on to not give things to others that she had not yet given to her husband and children. She recalled making a lovely homemade dinner and dessert for a person in her church. Her children and husband sat eating boxed macaroni and store-bought cookies as she took her full-tray of lovely food out the door. She was convicted by that experience and from that day on, she has always made the same thing for her family that she was sharing with those in need.

Take time to ask the Lord to show you ways to better serve your spouse and family, prior to serving others. Then, after exceedingly meeting the needs of your family, you can graciously serve others, knowing that you are honoring the Lord by taking care of your first responsibilities, first. The Lord will always bless those that honor and obey Him with the resources necessary to build His kingdom, family by family, and church by church.

So always make sure, "its good enough for who its for!"

Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31: 11, 12