Janessa Squiggly

As I tried to leave the Primary room after church, my friend Caroline from the other ward walked in. We chatted a bit, and then she asked, "Hey, did you see the article about 'Janessa Squiggly' (name has been changed... thank goodness) in the paper this morning?"  I hadn't, so I made sure to open up the paper when I got home.

Since most of you don't know Janessa, here's the run-down...

She is the oldest of 12, she herself having seven kids.  Her dad is a well-known lawyer whose TV commercials teach lessons about family and self-reliance.  She has gorgeous red hair and a smooth, fair complexion, and majored in vocal performance at BYU.

As for things I found out in the article, she also apparently won beauty pageants and music awards, wakes up at 5am every morning to (cheerfully) exercise and get her kids out the door, prepares meals with organic whole foods, makes whole wheat bread and smoothies for breakfast, and has kids that pull their weight in the house without complaint on their part or a wasted moment nagging on hers. Her kids all attend private Christian and Catholic schools and play the piano and violin, and she continues to study voice herself.

I think, perhaps, that such an article would make most women, including myself, feel like garbage.

But, really...  After pondering it, I thought, Good for her!  She obviously has many incredible, and incredibly visible, talents.  If her kids are stubborn like mine, then good for her for whipping them into shape!  (If they aren't, then lucky her!)  She thrives off of running an efficient household, so good for her for doing it so proficiently.  Good for her for being poised.  Good for her for working on her musical gifts, and honing those of her children.  Good for her for for wanting to keep her home free of preservatives and processed foods.

All wonderful, commendable things!

Here's the beauty of the gospel, though.  I don't have to do any of those things.

Satan wants all of us regular women to get caught up comparing ourselves to such women-- comparing our weaknesses to their strengths.  He wants us to waste our time trying to be her, rather than embracing our own strengths and focusing on being obedient to the Lord.

Please understand that I'm not trying to say that she is wasting her own time, because she's not. Janessa obviously is embracing the amazing daughter of God that she is.  But I'm not her, nor will I ever be.  She appears to thrive working with and organizing the chaos that is her life.  I despise chaos. Even four kids is pushing the envelope for me.  She must love regularly waking up before sunrise.  I'd rather gnaw off my arm.  Occasionally I make homemade bread, but mostly I buy mine from the store.  And when my sister came and visited recently, she pointed out that my kids "eat a lot of cereal."  Yes, yes they do.  They would love it if I made them pancakes or smoothies every morning, but let's face it, that isn't going to happen.  Ever.

And that's okay.

Sister Squiggly isn't going to inherit some higher, unadvertised degree of celestial glory because she fed her kids whole wheat bread and had a stellar chore chart.  She isn't going to be moved to the front of the line at the pearly gates because she has great hair and can sing an opera aria.

She is a good person (as most of us are)-- a person who is doing her best with what she has been given.  She is a person who teaches correct principles to her children-- faith, hard work, kindness, unity.  She seeks to obey God's word.  And let's face it, many of us do all that as well.  Her efforts are not any more valuable than ours.  The love the Lord has for her is the same as the love He has for each of us.

He knows each of our names just as He knows hers.

So, again I say, "Good for you, Sister Squiggly!  I'm coming over to your house for breakfast next Sunday morning..."