How to Measure Up

We live in a world full of comparisons. In the blink of an eye, we make snap judgments about each other based on our appearances and performance. Why can’t our business be as successful? Why doesn’t my family function like theirs? How are they so close to God? I wish I could be more, do more…I’m just not measuring up.

Sound familiar?

In just a few short days it will be a year since I launched this blog. I remember the hesitation I felt as I went to hit the button to publish my first post and make it live. I knew the rules of the blogosphere…keep it up…once you start, keep up the pace, be consistent, don’t stop.

Those expectations grated against the desire to toss all the man-made rules that had left me feeling tired and depleted. Underneath it all was the longing for something more…something different.

Many of you have longed for something different too…to believe, live and lead radically different. We may not always recognize our longing for what it is…but if we are willing to go deep it often lands us in a place where we are struggling with our identity…who God says we are…and we are struggling with relying on God and trusting in His promises.

As you enter into the last month of 2018 you may be tempted to compare yourself and your life to others. You may be wondering and worrying if you are measuring up. I hope you’ll resist that temptation. Your life is just that…yours.

As you enter into the reflective mood that the holiday season and end of the year often brings, I encourage you to shine the spotlight on yourself. Highlight and celebrate the wins, no matter the size.  See and ponder all the ways God has worked in your life. What are the ways you have grown? In what ways have your thought patterns changed?  What have you stopped? What have you started? How has God been working transformational change within you and met you in your desire to live radically different?

Here are a few things I can see in me:

• I’m able to be more vulnerable and name my desires without feeling guilty or worrying about being judged.
• I have less anger.
• I have learned that my journey is my journey.
• I don’t have to have all the answers…and somehow I’m ok with that…sometimes…
• I realize how easily I quit on myself.
• God will go to great lengths to give us what we need when we need it.

On the surface, these things might not seem like a big deal, but it’s progress! And one thing God has been reminding me over and over again is, “…that God who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Phil 1:6

It’s God’s work, not mine, not yours. God initiated it and he will keep developing and cultivating and doing His work in us until it is finished! He promises us that we can live radically different…one decision at a time…one thought at a time…one day at a time.

So, throw that measuring cup away, sit with God and enjoy His presence as He helps you see the ways in which you have changed over this past year. And be confident in this…He’s not finished. He’ll keep on doing His transformational work in you and through you until it’s done!  Never give up on God because He’ll never give up on you!