Measuring Up

Last night I heard Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and author Renee Swope speak and there was one thing she said that has resonated deeply with me. We can often hear a speaker or preacher and walk away thinking it was a good message. When we wake up the next morning with one particular thing on our mind, we need to give it more time and attention. Renee stated one of the greatest ways our confidence is stolen is through comparison to others. When we compare our inner lives with someone else's outer life, we will never measure up. When we look around us, we will never measure up. What we miss is the true direction of our measurement is found in measuring UP! 

So much of our identity is based on our outer appearances such as our bodies, our homes, our jobs, or how our children behave. However, those things are not what God uses to measure us. You could live in a million dollar home, but be living in disobedience to God if He has called you live in a grass hut in Africa. You could be a doctor, but God has called you to preach. You may feel like the least talented person in the room, but God has called you to sing and lead worship. You could feel inadequate as a speaker or writer, yet God has called you to write for Him and share your story to give Him glory (excuse me as I raise my hand on this one). 

What is it you use to measure yourself? How do you define success? Does your definition match the one God would give for your life? 

"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

Instead of measuring your life based on those around you, make today the day you begin measuring UP.