Is God's definition of success different than mine?
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Proverbs 16:3Amplified Bible (AMP)
3 [a]Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].
I admit that at times I don't feel very sucessful. As a mom, sometimes my measure of success is whether I get my children through bedtime stories, prayers, and tuck ins without any of us having a melt down (myself included.) I read something interesting this week though. A hard day doesn't necessarily mean that I failed. My evaluation of success or failure should not depend on my circumstances. Rather the question should be have I walked with Jesus today? Did I remember that I am not alone? Did I remember that He loves me? Did I fix my eyes on Him? Did I share his love with others that I encountered during my day? Did I ask God to lead, guide, and direct me? This is the true measure of success.
Excellent reminder! God is so much easier on us when it comes to "success" than we are, isn't He? He just wants US and our focus; all the rest will take care of itself.
Yes, I am so thankful He is! "Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33. I hope you have a lovely week.
My Dad has nicknamed my youngest child “Sunshine.” She reminds me to slow down and smell flowers, literally, and she likes to take pictures of them too. Her eldest sibling inspires me to try new things, and she challenges me to broaden my perspective. Their brother teaches me something new daily, and asks his teachers when they are going to learn about higher level science topics such as physics. My children truly are my sunshine on a cloudy day. They are my laughter and dancing. My art and the music in my home. Right now, they are on the other side of the country visiting their Dad during Summer break. I hope that they each realize how much joy they bring to my life. I will close with the classic song, “My Girl”, but I feel this way about all of my kids nor just my girls. Do you have someone in your life that reminds you of sunshine?
“That’s a possibility.”,is one of my Dad’s favorite phrases. Ever since I was a little girl I would run and ask my Daddy all sorts of what if questions. His answer most often has been, “That’s a possibility.” Too many possibilities often leaves me with decision fatigue. I want make the right choice. I have made bad choices before, and I want to choose what is best for me and my children. This the reason that I love Emily Freeman’s advice, “Do the next right thing in love.” Breaking decisions down to one choice at a time halts the train of “what if” thinking and makes the decision making process more manageable. I want to view possibilities positively and not as something scary or overwhelming. Do possibilities excite you or scare you? Have you ever felt decision fatigue? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
As a mom of three children, I remind my children to try to reach a compromise concerning some form or fashion of disagreement with each other almost every day. I tell them, and try to remember myself that many things that seem important in the moment will not even be remembered days or weeks later. My Dad used to ask me as a teen, "Is this a hill you are willing to die on?" If it is not something critically important to me, than I need to be willing to compromise. I want to teach my children to be empathetic with others and to be willing to meet in the middle. I want to teach them to think of others and be mindful of perspectives that are different than their own. Choosing to work together to work out a compromise is an act of love. I know that if these are the values that I wish for my children to learn, than I need to model these values in my interactions with them and with other people. They need to see that I am willing to liste...
Excellent reminder! God is so much easier on us when it comes to "success" than we are, isn't He? He just wants US and our focus; all the rest will take care of itself.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am so thankful He is! "Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33. I hope you have a lovely week.
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