Life’s Learning Curve

Life’s learning curve… whenever I’ve entered anything new, there’s been a learning curve. Some curves have been much steeper than others. Like navigating the high school social scene, learning a new subject, starting a business, or the longest and steepest curve ever.. the PARENTING learning curve!

In the beginning of most of these ventures I felt like a toddler learning to walk; all wobbly and dependent upon others. However, there came a time when I began to feel a lot more confident in what I was doing, and I started to move ahead more independently. Yet, without fail, there has always come a point, I would run up against a person or people who just did it better than I did! Within a moment’s time, all that confidence I had melted away! I no longer gave myself any credit for the strides and accomplishments I’d reached; all of the sudden I stunk at everything! I would go through a check list of comparisons always selling myself on the short end! I didn’t value anything about me!

The Lord had to show me that my failures where stepping stones, and that what I thought was marginal at best was actually really good, if I’d stop comparing myself.

I began to see that comparing myself to others was just a way for the enemy to keep me ineffective! I had to accept that there would always be someone out there that appeared to have all that I wanted, and more accomplished than I was. That realization set me free to do something I wouldn’t do before – enjoy the things that I could do, and be the best I could be in what I enjoyed doing!

When I stopped comparing my best to others, I stopped sabotaging my own success! I now took pleasure in what I was doing simply because I enjoyed doing it! I no longer was attempting to try and reach some elusive goal of being the best at everything to gain the acceptance or approval of others! When that ceased, my awareness of God’s unconditional approval became so real. I began to see that God really didn’t have any favorites, but that He lavishly gifted and enabled all of us, so that we can flourish and succeed in whatever we enjoy doing! The need to try and be the best began to melt away when I began to just be the person God designed me to be!

Today, I watch my children and their friends become so discouraged because they work so hard at being good at something, only to see someone else is better. I see friends and family give up before they even get started, because they are so afraid to fail. I’ve watched many I love, who are called by God, never fulfill those dreams and visions because they’ve compared their ability to others, only to see their own inability; instead of looking at God’s unlimited capability through them!

It’s so important that we move from an ineffective life of comparing, to an EFFECTIVE life of sharing what we’ve been gifted to do!

Don’t compare yourself to others. There will always be someone better. Push yourself to be the best YOU that you can be! Seek to see yourself the way the Lord see’s you – completely capable through Him! Remember He has NO favorites!

Whatever you are doing enjoy the journey! Enjoy all of the journey, even the disappointments! Often times we learn more from our failures than we do our successes! We are never a disappointment to God, He is our biggest fan! He equips us to do every good work!

Be the best you are capable of being, don’t leave anything on the table. Decide from the beginning you will be pleased with yourself regardless of the outcome! What God has gifted you to do, He is responsible for the outcome. Walk in His confidence and you won’t need to compare yourself to others!

Love what you do regardless of who is better! Make sure your motives for what you are doing are right. If they are, you’ll love the outcome no matter what! Seek to love and serve others in what you are doing, and the joy it brings them will be your reward. They will see the God in you, and be amazed by what you are doing.

Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. Gal 6:4