I don't know if a day goes by that I don't compare myself to others, whether it be my body, my career, my clothes, my education, my walk with Christ ,the fact that I'm not married, don't have children and just about all the peeps around me do, honestly the list of comparisons goes on and on! Often I look at what my peers have or where they are in their lives and I use it as a measurement for my own life! But when i'm constantly comparing myself with everyone else I being to covet what they have or I take pride in what I posses and judge them for what they lack! Ugh! Judging, coveting and pridefulness? For sure not the life my Father has called me to! I have to face the reality that it's NOT a game, I'm not in a life race competing against those around me!
"God is my shepard I dont need a thing!" Psalm 23:1
Paul while talking to the Romans instructs them to "let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2) So glad to report to you that God is in fact changing the way I think! I will be leaving in about 25 days with around 60 or so other souls to travel the globe sharing the Gospel with those who are desperate to hear it! You can imagine that in a group of 60 there is a lot of differences in personalities, backgrounds, family upbringings, theologies, ways of worshipping, varying degrees of biblical knowledge,60 unique testimonies of how Christ has saved each of us, and so on!
While at training camp God opened up my heart to accepting all the unique ways He has made us, the distinct ways we worship Him, as well as graciously allowing my soul to take great joy in it! When God finished creating the world it says in Genesis that He " looked over all He made and saw that is was very good",my heart and soul said a big Amen to that at training camp!
As I continue to get to know my squad over Facebook, texts, and phone calls, my temptations is to compare myself with them and their stories, my God however is calling me to open my eyes and see that what He is doing in them is good and I can celebrate that with Him!
Our culture tries to compare and keep up with the Joneses (or is the kardashians now?) but God is calling us to live a life content in Him, but in Him, in His body, He has created a wonderful uniqueness, it's not enough to just acknowledge that because this variety is BEAUTIFUL and should be something we take delight in! As my God continues to invite me to be satisfied in Him, I'm reminded of two scriptures "As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." (Psalm 17:15) and "When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God" (Genesis 5:1) As I read these I realize that when I stop tearing others down for what they don't have or putting them on a pedestal for what they do I can instead rejoice over what God has given them, delight in His image in which He has created them and in my enjoyment of His variant creation I am blessed with glimpses of His own beautiful uniqueness and it's then in those moments I find myself deeply satisfied in Him!
I invite you to celebrate along with me all those who God has surrounded us with, let's not let the devil trip us up, getting caught up on what we don't have and think we should, "for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him!" ( Matthew 6:8) He calls us to renewed in our way of thinking, content in Him, SATISFIED in Him, building our brothers and sisters up in HIM!!! This is the life He has called me to and my heart swells at the thought that He is doing these good works in me and in you!!!
(There will be a blog to follow of a few things about all the peeps on my squad!!!! They are all so amazing that I have to share them with you!!!)
