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| Photo By Amelia Grace Photography |
Comparing
Our Pots
ByLori Kennedy
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves
with some who commend themselves. When
they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves,
they are not wise.”
II Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)
I
went to see a ministry friend sing at an event.
She has a beautiful voice and I never get tired of hearing her
sing. She constantly amazes me with her
gifts and talents. As happy and proud of her as I am, I don’t feel that I’m as
gifted or talented. None of my gifts
are this good. Again, this is
painful for me: causing feelings of discontentment, stealing my joy and filling
me with bitterness, envy, anger, and feelings of worthlessness.
Yes, I just said the
same thing twice, but you get my point, right?
We
find ourselves comparing our looks, our talents, our weight, our homes, and our
children. In fact, we can compare just
about everything that filters through our tainted eyes and enter our
struggling hearts. In every single case,
when we compare we lose. We perceive
that we are either better than…or….not enough.
When
we feel better than, we have pride and we may not continue to attempt to move forward
in a positive direction since we will feel “good enough” and then possibly think
less of that person. If, for example,
you think you are in a better place spiritually than someone else and are
comparing your spiritual walk to theirs, you have to ask yourself, “Are you really?”
On
the other hand, when we feel that we don’t measure up, we may feel unworthy and
filled with shame. Sometimes these
feelings of inadequacy may make us feel like giving up thinking there is
someone more equipped to handle the destiny that God has placed before us to
fulfill.
I
do believe that God places people along our paths to challenge us, to cultivate
us and to help us to mature in our spiritual walk. However, whenever there are feelings of shame,
unworthiness, or pride that come up, then you need to realize that is a lie from the enemy and is
not a message from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7 (NKJV). Some bible versions say self-control or
self-discipline instead of a sound mind.
Either way, we are called to walk in confidence of who we are and whose
we are, connecting with those that God has placed in our path with the purpose
of increasing His Kingdom on Earth and not with the purpose of feeling better
than or not enough.
God
has used the example of a potter and his clay in the bible many times. Just as an earthly potter cannot make the
exact same piece two times, God has purposefully created us each differently
and with our own destiny to fulfill. We
are all on our own journey and on our own path….each of us is slightly
different…we all have different D.N.A.
This is all good…it’s the way He planned it for us. God states in Micah 6:8 that we are required to act justly, love mercy, and walk
humbly with our God. The only way to
truly accomplish this task is to seek Him first, and compare ourselves only to Christ
and not each other.
The
LIE is that my dad doesn’t love me as much as my sister. The TRUTH is that my dad was being sensitive
to a need in my younger sister’s life.
It was a need I didn’t have. My
dad knows that my precious husband supplies all my provisional needs and my
heavenly father supplies all the rest.
My dad doesn’t have to worry about me.
He was called to meet a need in her life and that doesn’t take anything
away from his love for me.
The
LIE is that my gifts and talents aren’t good enough. The TRUTH is that God has blessed me with an
anointed and blessed calling. He has
also blessed me with my sweet and anointed friend who is using her gifts to
further the gospel. She is a light and
an encouragement in my life. Our gifting
is slightly different and that’s okay because we are uniquely equipped to
fulfill the destiny God created for us on this planet.
The
LIE is that I am not good enough. The
TRUTH is that I am good enough. The
Potter created a pot with the exact purpose that is required for His plan. It’s a unique, one of a kind, creation that
has a distinct purpose to fulfill. The
TRUTH is that God loves me just as I am….AND too much to leave me there. The TRUTH is that God loves YOU just as you
are….AND too much to leave YOU there as well.
We will continue to be molded by the Potter throughout our
journey on this earth.
