Striving For Excellence
by Hannah Keeley
June is a big birthday month around here. Karis’s is on May 30th; Kelsey ‘s June 9, and Kyler, June 23. Needless to say, we have a lot of reasons to celebrate and our house definitely is proof. There are cards, ribbons, and balloons all over the place! Blair began a tradition when Kelsey was just a baby of cutting numbers out of colorful construction paper and taping them on a chair at the dining room table to show their age. Then he would blow up balloons and put them up all over the house (or whatever we lived in at the time–which began as a 600-square foot apartment).
This summer, by the time Kyler’s birthday rolled around, our balloon supply was running a little low. He had only blown up six by the time he ran out. It was late at night, so I told him not to worry about it. “Blair,” I said, “he’s not even going to notice. Don’t sweat it. This is fine.”
But he wasn’t satisfied. See, when you set standards for yourself…
…(especially when those standards are above average) you can’t be satisfied with anything less. Blair tore apart the house looking for balloons and finally found a pack of tiny, little balloons stuck in the bottom of a box of wrapping paper. They were difficult to blow up, and they couldn’t get any bigger than the size of your hand. They were pathetic little piddly things. But that didn’t stop Blair. He blew up the entire pack! He hung up all those little balloons all over the house so it would look magical when Kyler woke up in the morning.
And it worked. His birthday was magical.
It would have been easy to cut some corners and stop at six balloons. Kyler would have probably never noticed. Blair could have just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh, well, I did everything I could,” and just left it at that. But he didn’t. He knew that even if no one ever noticed, he would notice and that bothered him. Blair has set standards for excellence when it comes to raising our babies, and it directs every move he makes.
As moms, we don’t have someone over us making sure we perform up to our abilities. We don’t have a manager giving us a performance review or the option to move up the career ladder and get a pay raise. No, we have something better, something that far exceeds any earthly boss. Colossians 3:23 tells us “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.”
We need to set standards of excellence in our homes. We don’t work for people, we answer to someone much higher. In our career as moms, we answer to God. No one may be around to hear how you talk to your little ones, but God is there. Your voice should be filled with kindness and encouragement. No one may be visiting your home this week, but God is there. you should do everything in your power to make it a place of beauty and comfort. No one may be there to hear your thoughts, but God is there. Your thoughts should be pure, uplifting, and lovely.
When God sees you putting forth that extra effort to meet higher standards, then He opens up the doors of heaven so that blessings pour into your life. So get ready, Mama. Excellence in your home is going to cause you to reap rewards like you could have never imagined!
Hannah Keeley was once in overwhelmed mom living in a cluttered house, deep in debt, out of shape, and barely hanging on. But one day, after finding herself sobbing uncontrollably into a pile of clean laundry, she realized God has bigger and better plans for her (just like He does for each one of His children). Beginning that day, she began making changes in her life that took her from overwhelmed to overjoyed. Today, she’s helping moms do the same. Hannah, her husband, Blair, and their seven children live in Richmond, Virginia, and are having the time of their lives!
Check out Hannah’s Website Here!
