In my subconscious surrender to the female stereotype, I was out routinely shopping the other day when I noticed a woman trying on this gorgeous dress! I could practically hear a heavenly choir singing "Aaahhhhh!!" She looked absolutely stunning in this dress...so of course I decided I needed to have one just like it! I found a duplicate dress and proceeded to the fitting room, expecting to hear my own chorale production! To my dismay, it was a big “Wa Wa Wa Waaaa!!” I would have to introduce my booty to the ancient Chinese custom of binding if I wanted to do this dress justice!! It just wasn't the right fit for me!
I realized how closely this scenario parallels the pursuit to find our calling in life. It is so easy to look around us and envy the talents, ambitions and achievements of others. I’m sure I’m not the only one with the occasional reveries of performing on stage like Christina Aguilera or dunking a basketball like Lebron James. Okay so maybe that’s a little dramatic, but perhaps you wish you possessed your coworker’s natural ability to speak in front of a crowd with ease or your friend’s uncanny knack for making a complete stranger feel as if they’ve known each other for a lifetime. We want to emulate a desired trait and try to fit ourselves into a mold that was probably never designed for us. We may be successful at squeezing into the mold, but it becomes very uncomfortable!
We have all been uniquely called by God and He created us with specific gifts to fulfill the purpose He designed for our lives. Scripture shows us in 1 Corinthians 12:4-31 that just as one body has many parts integral to the health of the body, we as believers in Christ have specific callings imperative to the unity of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:18 specifically tells us that God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be! How encouraging it is to know that God has already given each of us everything we need to fulfill His plan for our lives!
Back to my shopping experience, I reluctantly accepted the fact that I was not going to be leaving the store that day with the gorgeous dress. I decided to peruse the store as I stumbled upon a pair of what looked to be the most comfortable sweatpants on earth! Given my previous experience in the fitting room, I immediately looked at the tag and was elated to read “One Size Fits All!!” PERFECT! I left the store, toting a pair of “One Size Fits All” sweatpants for both me AND my sister!
Even though we may have unique giftings in life, there is one calling that was intended for all of us! Like a “One Size Fits All”, we are all called to LOVE! In Mark 12:28-31, a religious scholar asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is, to which Jesus responded “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lordour God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lordyour God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Above ALL ELSE, He simply calls us to love Him and to extend that same love to others! It truly is the right fit!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Procrastination: A promise for tomorrow serves what purpose today?
The warning signs are all there; everyone else sees it. A deadline looms and I formulate a million reasons why I cannot complete the task…right now. I indulge in every possible distraction, convincing myself that I will get to the task…in a moment. I find a way to justify my decision to delay the task; “I know I need to get this done, but, if I watch just ONE more episode of the Cake Boss, I bet I could totally enter the Ultimate Cake Off contest and I would soooo win $10,000!” This is my story. My name is Kelsey and…I am a procrastinator.
Those of you that know me well can truly appreciate the accuracy of that description! I have been plagued with this “disease” for as long as I can remember. I approach every scenario with the best of intentions but have yet to find a cure. I have even tried those self-help books. You know the ones – 21 Days to a Better You! Unfortunately, they have proven to be of little use…only because I manage to find a way to procrastinate reading them! I know I am not alone in my plight. Logic would tell us that, in order to find a solution, we must identify the cause.
I have given this considerable thought. I think often times I put off certain tasks because I am afraid of failing or under-delivering. I am afraid that the product of my efforts is not going to be “good enough.” One of the most quoted scriptures from the Bible is Philippians 4:13 which was written with the intent to empower us. The apostle Paul writes, “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!” This is not only meant to encourage us, but to also serve as a reminder that it is God that gives us our abilities. When we begin to doubt ourselves, we are placing limitations on the God that spoke life into existence; the God that, after seeing all that He had made, called it VERY good! (Genesis 1:31)
This leads me to then ask myself, who am I trying to please? Galatians 1:10 poses this very question. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” If we already know that God has given us the ability to do ALL things through Him, and if everything He has made is VERY good, it should be safe to assume that our efforts will meet His approval.
The caveat here is the implication that there is effort devoted on our part. If I am assigned to a project at work and I know that my boss is measuring my progress, I am motivated to complete the assignment as expected. She knows I have the aptitude and skills to successfully achieve the goal and I cannot let distractions stand in the way of accomplishing the task. On a grander scale, God has gifted us all with talents and abilities and He is fully aware of our potential. If we allow distractions to prevent us from using these gifts, we are delaying God’s plan for our lives. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 serves as a perfect example of not using the talents God has given. We have to actually DO something, take action or dedicate our efforts if we want to fulfill our potential and live out our purpose, as designed by God.
My actions, and inactions, up to this point have contributed to my story and will inevitably continue to do so. God has fully equipped us to ensure that every page of our story has purpose; and purpose exists in the form of confidence from God. Fortunately, we all share the same opportunity to shape the outcome of our stories, not tomorrow…but TODAY. Proverbs 27:1 says “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” I know when my story ends, I want to hear the words “well done, my good and faithful servant, well done!”
Those of you that know me well can truly appreciate the accuracy of that description! I have been plagued with this “disease” for as long as I can remember. I approach every scenario with the best of intentions but have yet to find a cure. I have even tried those self-help books. You know the ones – 21 Days to a Better You! Unfortunately, they have proven to be of little use…only because I manage to find a way to procrastinate reading them! I know I am not alone in my plight. Logic would tell us that, in order to find a solution, we must identify the cause.
I have given this considerable thought. I think often times I put off certain tasks because I am afraid of failing or under-delivering. I am afraid that the product of my efforts is not going to be “good enough.” One of the most quoted scriptures from the Bible is Philippians 4:13 which was written with the intent to empower us. The apostle Paul writes, “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!” This is not only meant to encourage us, but to also serve as a reminder that it is God that gives us our abilities. When we begin to doubt ourselves, we are placing limitations on the God that spoke life into existence; the God that, after seeing all that He had made, called it VERY good! (Genesis 1:31)
This leads me to then ask myself, who am I trying to please? Galatians 1:10 poses this very question. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” If we already know that God has given us the ability to do ALL things through Him, and if everything He has made is VERY good, it should be safe to assume that our efforts will meet His approval.
The caveat here is the implication that there is effort devoted on our part. If I am assigned to a project at work and I know that my boss is measuring my progress, I am motivated to complete the assignment as expected. She knows I have the aptitude and skills to successfully achieve the goal and I cannot let distractions stand in the way of accomplishing the task. On a grander scale, God has gifted us all with talents and abilities and He is fully aware of our potential. If we allow distractions to prevent us from using these gifts, we are delaying God’s plan for our lives. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 serves as a perfect example of not using the talents God has given. We have to actually DO something, take action or dedicate our efforts if we want to fulfill our potential and live out our purpose, as designed by God.
My actions, and inactions, up to this point have contributed to my story and will inevitably continue to do so. God has fully equipped us to ensure that every page of our story has purpose; and purpose exists in the form of confidence from God. Fortunately, we all share the same opportunity to shape the outcome of our stories, not tomorrow…but TODAY. Proverbs 27:1 says “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” I know when my story ends, I want to hear the words “well done, my good and faithful servant, well done!”
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