Giving Yourself Grace: When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned

Life Happens—And Sometimes, So Does the Flu

This past week has been a complete whirlwind. I had plans—big plans. A new podcast episode to record, a newsletter to send, blog posts to write, announcements to make. But instead? I got sick. And just as I started feeling human again, my daughter got sick too. The flu hit our house hard, and everything I had scheduled came to a screeching halt.

Saturday came, and with the kids away all day, recording the podcast wasn’t an option. Then Sunday hit, and the moment we got home from church, it felt like one thing after another kept piling up—like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger with every turn.

By Monday morning, I turned to Matt and admitted, “I just don’t have it in me. I have to put everything on pause this week.” And sure enough, I started feeling even worse.

Tuesday rolled around, and there was no improvement. That’s when Matt jumped into action, throwing every vitamin and remedy he could think of at me, determined to help me bounce back.

Then came Wednesday morning. Addison walked into our bedroom, her face pale, and said, “I don’t feel good.” Oops. I had officially passed it on.

Since then, she’s been sleeping almost nonstop, and honestly, she’s had it worse than I did. Bless her heart, our girl is down for the count.

I don’t know about you, but when things don’t go as planned, I tend to spiral into frustration. I feel like I’m falling behind, like I’m failing at everything, and like I should be pushing through no matter what. But if this week has taught me anything, it’s this:

Rest Is Not a Failure

As parents, we constantly pour into our families—our time, our energy, our attention. And when we can’t show up the way we want to, we tend to feel guilty. But the truth is, our bodies are not machines. They need rest. They need care. And when we push through sickness or exhaustion just to check off a to-do list, we’re not helping anyone.

If I had forced myself to push through this week, I would have ended up even sicker, even more exhausted, and let’s be honest—probably even more cranky. That wouldn’t have served my family, and it certainly wouldn’t have served me.

The Guilt of Falling Behind

I’ll admit it—there’s a part of me that keeps whispering, You should have done more. The podcast went unrecorded, the newsletter never got sent, and half of my plans fell by the wayside.

But you know what? That’s okay.

Life isn’t a race to perfection. It’s messy. It’s unpredictable. And sometimes, it means we have to press pause whether we want to or not.

The Lesson I’m Taking Away

This past week forced me to slow down and reminded me that my worth isn’t measured by my productivity. I’ve also watched Matt—who has been a force to be reckoned with these past few months—struggle to balance his work while constantly tending to Addison and me.

At one point, when I finally started to feel a little normal again, I looked at him and said, “It doesn’t matter how much money you bring in or don’t bring in today, honey. What matters is that you took care of your family. Some days, that means providing for our financial needs. On other days, it’s taking care of our physical needs. No matter what… you’ve been amazing. I see you. And I appreciate you more than you know.”

This week reminded me that resting isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a necessity. And that giving myself grace isn’t just something I encourage others to do—it’s something I have to actively practice myself.

So if you’ve had a week (or a month) where things didn’t go as planned, I want to remind you: You are not behind. You are not failing. You are human. And sometimes, the best thing you can do is take a breath, reset, and give yourself the grace to move forward at your own pace.

Let’s Talk About It

Have you ever had a time when life forced you to slow down? How did you handle it? Send us your thoughts to [email protected]

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