Over and over the message I hear is this: children are a burden and an inconvenience. How sad that one of the most exciting adventures we are privileged to embark on is often clouded with pessimism.

The first shall be your slave, the greatest shall be your servant. This goes against the grain of every natural inclination in me. It is my default to see how I can climb the ladder of greatness, whether in the realm of motherhood, the world of blogging, or within my own circles of friends. I often find myself trying to become "greater" without even realizing it.

Even though I fell in love with Jesus early in my life, there grew an inward bent of my soul, slowly and stealthily, that was hardly noticeable. I'm not sure exactly how it started. Maybe it was the subconscious joy I found in the acclaim of people in being such a "good Christian." Maybe I couldn't help but notice how much "better" I was than my peers. Somewhere along the way, I began to delight in my good works more than the work of Jesus.

The love of God... is it true that it overwhelms and satisfies my soul? We sing this song and others like it with such passion on Sunday mornings, but often live a life that screams "God isn't enough for me. I need X, Y, or Z to be content, happy, and fulfilled."

There is this concept that has been propagated through an abundance of romantic comedies as well as our American Christian culture that we all have one perfect soul mate out there somewhere. But I want to propose that this idea of "the one" is a myth and is an idea that is actually bringing more harm than good to those who embrace it.