Note to Self
By Lisa Boyer
“…but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.”
2 Corinthians 10:12b (KJV)
Dear Self,By Lisa Boyer
“…but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.”
2 Corinthians 10:12b (KJV)
When your loving heavenly Father gently points out some area in your life that He wants you to work on, it’s because He knows you are ready to deal with it, change it and move on. The other day when God tapped you on the shoulder and pointed out something that needed attention, you took it and ran with it. But you ran in the wrong direction!
You immediately began beating yourself up for how you’d been handling it and then you proceeded to make a list of everything that you don’t do right in that area of your life. The result wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright ugly. You became completely defeated…before you could even begin to take the journey God wanted you to take.
What happened? The area God pointed out wasn’t that major. It was such a simple thing; not a sin issue, a self-improvement issue. And when it comes to self-improvement, nothing can make you spiral out of control like…oh yes, others. Is that where your mind went? Is that how your list became so long? God showed you one thing He wanted you to improve and your problem-solving mind looked around to see how others do that one thing. But instead of finding solutions, you compared yourself with them and saw more and more problems; things others handle better than you do. The Bible makes it very clear that isn’t the route to take. Comparing yourself with others is not wise, and look where it landed you!
Can we please start over? Whatever area God wanted you to begin to work on, He knows you’re ready to deal with it, or He wouldn’t have brought it up. He wants to gently lead you down a better path. Trust Him.
Love,
Me
PS: One more thing: Get rid of the list. The list didn’t come from God…you made up that list. While it is true that there will always be someone who does “it” better than you, that same someone will always be able to find someone who does “it” better than she. Comparing never helps.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you tend to spiral down the wrong path when God shows you an area to work on? Next time will you sit quietly before Him and let Him show you His solution?
2. Are you in the habit of comparing yourself to others? Today, will you begin to measure yourself by God’s standard?
FURTHER READING:
2 Corinthians 10:18; Proverbs 3:5
Lisa has been married to Ted for 18 years and they have two teenage sons. She is a co-leader for the Junior High girls’ small group.
