Photo credit Peter Daveney

I admit it.  Sometimes I compare myself to others.  I wish I managed my blog and connected with new people as well as Lindsey does.  To have the effortless grace Tami does would be wonderful.  And how I’d love to wake up every day knowing exactly what I was made for, the way Britt does.

But I am not these fabulous women.  I’m me.  Not that there’s anything wrong with being me.  I know I have my own unique gifts and talents–it’s just that sometimes I wish I possessed the unique talents other people already have.  Wouldn’t that be fun-a sort of “widget”  list of great attributes we could add to ourselves?

We all struggle with “Keeping up with the Joneses”.  There’s a need to be seen as having it all together, staying on track with our career goals, having the perfect marriage, and being the perfect parents.  As I’ve gotten older, there are a few lessons beginning to take shape:

1. Titles don’t make the person-Early in my career, I set some serious “over achiever” goals for myself.  And I worked way too hard to get them. A few years’ back, I realized I didn’t care about the ladder anymore.  I cared more about being passionate about what I do.
2. Being passionate is a must-The business cards, the paycheck, being part of a leadership team…none of that can ever add up to “enough” when you are alone with your thoughts if you don’t love what you do. Same goes for who we love, who we’re friends with, and what hobbies we spend time doing.  We’re just burning hours without passion.
3. Being happy is worth the risk-If you aren’t in a career, relationship, or church you love and are fed by, make room for a different possibility.  Be willing to be uncomfortable for a little while in order to be happy in the end.
4. There are no perfect people- We all have strengths–and weakenessess–that make us who we are.  And while I may see characteristics in others I’m motivated to add to my own list, I know that God created each of us for a specific purpose and without those inherent traits, we would be unable to fulfill our purpose.

” Why compare yourself to others?  No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.”-author unknown

Do you struggle with this too?

You’ve seen that great quote from Ghandi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Lately, those words have begun to take on new meaning for me. 

I saw The Blind Side for the first time with friends.  I cried, laughed, and then cried some more.   Knowing that aside from a few choice words and one intense scene towards the end, the movie was safe for mature kids, I took my daughter.  As we were walking out of the theater afterwards, I choked up as I said to her “what an honor to have that kind of impact in someone’s life.”   It led to a great discussion on those things, big and small, we can do for others that make a noticeable difference.  The most powerful line in that movie, to me, was during lunch when one of Leigh Anne’s friends said” You’re changin’ that boys life.”  To which she replied “No, he’s changin’ mine.”

Here are some ways I think we can really Be The Change:

1. Live Fearlessly-In Max Lucado’s book, Fearless, he asks this question: “How long has it been since “a fresh understanding of Christ buckled your knees and emptied your lungs? Since a glimpse of him left you speechless and breathless?”   When we are being agents of change, we get to be front row participants in these breathtaking moments.
2. Give freely- We’ve made big changes this year about how we are “doing” Christmas.  We all have so much.  And there are too many who have nothing.  Choosing to not give gifts to family (or get them in return) and instead invest that in others has been a million times more rewarding than any gift-swapping I’ve ever done in the past.
3. Love one another-This is challenging sometimes, isn’t it?  I have a hard time praying for the people who cause stress in my life.  And often, they are the ones who need it most.  But it seems that the best opportunities to help others appear when our hearts are unburdened by chaos.
4. Listen-Sometimes God gives us a booming directive, but often it’s that still, small voice directing us to stop and help someone, donate to a new chairty, or take our lives in a completely new direction.  Only by listening–and acting–can we drastically affect the world around us.

In what other ways do you think we can live out a desire for change?