During my school semesters, I serve at a church in the area. Recently, we were talking to a member of the church about why the youth program is called "Ok Kiddos." We were puzzled by the rather unusual name of the program. The member's explanation was incredibly simple.
"I want them to know that it is okay to be okay."
My mind was blown in that moment. It made complete sense for the context in which he was speaking. Yet, his statement could also be translated outside of a children's program and into life.
I am an individual who has really high expectations for myself - unreasonably high expectations. Like many people, I become frustrated and discontent when I fail to reach those expectations. I blame myself and become discouraged. We have this idea in our minds that we must achieve. When we don't, we set ourselves up for broken expectations. We tell ourselves that we have to be better than okay. We have to be perfect (even though we may not say this out loud).
But that is not true....It is okay to be okay. If okay is the best you can do, keep doing it. God never asked us to be perfect. He never asked us to set unrealistic expectations. He asked us to keep our eyes on Him. That is not always easy; I can tell you that from experience. But that is what God asks of us: to love Him and look to Him. To quote one of my favorite songs, "when you don't know what to say, just say Jesus."
And remember, it's okay to be okay!