I got the best email this morning from Life Church: Swerve - they send out some great thought provoking ideas & encouragements & just something I look forward to receiving. Today's message was talking about how God has given people different gifts. For instance - the writer was saying:
I'll never be as smart as Mark Driscoll
I'll never be as funny as Perry Noble
I'll never preach on one point as amazingly as Andy Stanley
I'll never be as Purpose Driver as Rick Warren
I'll never be as positive as Joel Osteen
But I like what he added at the end: "Thankfully, I'm not called by God to be any of those people!"
How cool is that? I think its cool because its such a reminder - so many people compare themselves to other PEOPLE & want to be just like they are when God gave each person talents & gifts to use on their own. Yeah, we can learn from others, but God didn't make us all to be the same - we're all just different.
And I can think of people that I know & see qualities in them that run along the same path - people that I'll never be as smart as in a certain field - or people that I'll never be as funny as - people that I'll never be as open as - people that have a prayer life that I can't imagine having - people that I'll never be as creative as - or people that trust so deeply in God that is shakes me to the core. So many people in my life & each one having something that is pointed out to me that I could be better at something. But that's what makes the Body of Christ a well-rounded success! Different talents working together as one.
So next time you compare yourself to someone - think of your own talents & gifts that God has given you & focus on those. Someone around you may be looking at you thinking they wish they were as good as you were in some sort of capacity.
Finally - when you feel the need to compare yourself to someone - dont do it - just compare yourself to Jesus! He's the one we all need to become more like anyways!
Amen, sister!
ReplyDeleteSo correct... so I take back all the times that I said that I wanted to be just like you!
ReplyDeleteOr Lynn, all the times I said I wanted to be like YOU!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis was great!!
ReplyDelete