What Am I Trying To Prove?

Comparing. Oh how dangerous it is!

Think of one thing that you do just because you are trying to keep up with someone else, keep up with what Pinterest is telling you to do, keep up with what your friend on facebook is doing, or keep up just because you think in the end, you will feel more productive?

If you have a hard time thinking of something, think harder. I am sure there is something!

Let me give you some examples from my life (and maybe I’m the only one who has these issues too!)

1. Wanting to have the “perfect” outfit because I saw a suggested post on facebook of what’s “in” now when it comes to style.

2. Seeing and hearing how kids are sleeping through the night by 12 weeks with Baby Wise. Wondering where I went wrong as a mother because Mazy still struggles with it.

3. Wanting to have a beautifully decored home on the cheap.

4. Trying to keep my house organized because I used to be an organizing blogger.

5. Making sure my hair and makeup are done every day because that is what people who have their life together do, right?

6. Wondering if that size -2 will every happen.

You get the drift, right?

We all do and wonder things, run ourselves ragged, and try to be someone we are not. We feel that if we don’t “do” THIS type of thing, wear this type of clothing, or look a certain way, our life doesn’t count.

WHY DO WE THINK THAT?

What happened to just letting our hair down (no pun intended?) Why aren’t we okay with who we are? Why do we compare ourselves CONSTANTLY with others? Think of that one person you compare yourself too. Be honest with yourself. Why do you? Like I’ve heard it said before, why do we compare our worst with someone’s best? Isn’t that what we do? We compare our undone hair with someone who maybe spent an hour on their’s. We compare our messy house to that of one in a magazine. We compare what we are wearing to that of a celebrity. We compare children because that is just what mothers do, right?

Your life DOES count. Your life DOES matter. You ARE a worth it person, even if you don’t have all of those things. Lets be honest, this body of mine has never been below a size 10, (okay, maybe when I came out of the womb), so why do I even think that anything less is where I should be? If I am completely honest with myself, I feel GREAT in a size 10! I am realizing as I type this that even pant sizes are something that women never talk about. I think there is this sense of shame or wondering what someone will think if they know my pant size? Why? Okay, maybe I am not ready to post my weight on here, but all I know is that my pants fit and I feel pretty healthy. A size 10 it is.

Again, what are we trying to prove? Who am I trying to live up to? What am I trying to live up to?

All comparing does is bring death. Death to what God has uniquely created in us. Death to the beauty of who we are. Death to what God can do with us in the future.

If we are constantly trying to live up to a certain standard in life, someone else’s standard, and not God’s, we will be striving for that until the day we die. That is NOT the life I want to live!

I want to rest in the peace of who I am. And trust me, I am not completely there yet. I suppose in a broken world, I am not sure I will ever “arrive”, but I can work daily on being okay with who I am. The days I find myself loving Mazy and forgetting about who the world says I should be, those are the best days. Dan and I are going to go on a little trip together for 10 year anniversary and I can’t wait to just wear by bathing suit all day, every day. Why? Because that is all I have to think about – not what I need to wear that day, how to do my hair, or my makeup. It’s just us, the water, and our snorkeling gear. Doesn’t that sound just perfect (okay, to me it does). But why don’t I live everyday like that? Just being okay with ME?

Yes, I think we are to take care of our bodies because they are something God created and we are to be good stewards of what God created. I admit I curl and straighten my hair (sometimes). I wear makeup. I like to look nice. But WHY am I doing those things? That is what I have to keep in check!

So let me conclude with this:
What gives you life? What fills your cup? How would you define the ideal day? What gives you a little extra pep in your step? When do you feel your best? Fill yourself up today with the things that make YOU, YOU. Don’t try and be someone else. Because otherwise you are going to be trying to fill and fill that cup, and it will never overflow. I guarantee you that.

Do the things that bring you LIFE, not death.