When You Feel As If You Don’t Measure Up

It was an ordinary Wednesday night church service. The worship music began and I could feel the Lord luring me to His heart even though my mind and body were worn-out from the week. He always has that way of softly inviting us into His presence.

It was when my husband came up behind, and put his hands on my shoulders and began to pray that I saw a window into my own heart.

A vision began to form right before my eyes of a cup of straws. They all looked to be the same size until I pulled one out, and revealed that I had pulled the short straw. In that moment the Lord revealed to me a lie that I had been believing…I was the short straw.

In the depth of my heart I believed that I came up short compared to everyone else: less gifted, less able, less “put together,” just plain less all the way around. The label of short straw had somehow plagued my mind.

It’s these very lies that keep us from our promise. It’s these very lies, that if not dealt with that keep us from walking in His fullness. Yes, these little lies that are telling us we are not good enough have that kind of hold on us. Kept unchecked and they will slowly infiltrate our entire belief system.

The sneaky, tricky, enemy had done it again, except this time the trap he laid was the comparison trap.

Living life through the lens of comparison will rob you of the peace, joy, and rest that Jesus paid for on the cross. It will leave you dissatisfied, envious, resentful, jealous, and bitter. Pressure of living up to the expectations of other people and trying to be someone we were never created to becomes our norm.

“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, I will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us, a sphere which especially includes you” (2 Cor. 10:12-13).

Maybe you want to travel and spread the gospel around the world or maybe you want kids that aren’t crazy loud and rude at times or maybe you want a husband that serves the Lord or you want a bigger house or a bigger bank account or maybe you just want one good day where nothing goes wrong.

Paul makes it clear that comparison is not the answer. He advises us to live in the sphere in which we are called to. Confidence is released when life is lived within the measure of grace God has given you.

Somehow we think our weaknesses or imperfections disqualify us from serving God. Somehow we have gotten in our heads that we are not cut out for this life we live – or anything for that matter. Slowly we disconnect ourselves from the work of the kingdom, deeming ourselves “not good enough.”

Our weaknesses can be the very way your Father births the kind of faith you need to travel the distance. Today we silence the voice of the accuser and begin to as Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”

The still small voice on that Wednesday whispered, “Be who I created you to be!”

See ladies, there is no time for comparison because there is a whole world that needs the gospel.

God is looking for a generation of women to live through the power of Christ, to live for an audience of one, which will then birth a wave of uniqueness that will advance the gospel!