"So why do I worry, why do I freak out, God knows what I need. You know what I need."
It feels like my efforts are not enough to keep up with this world.
Seeing my friends succeed and pass another stepping stone in their lives is exciting and wonderful to be a part of. They are reaching their long time goals, fulfilling their wildest dreams and living their lives the way they want to. So why is it that it is disheartning to me? I think it is because I feel like I'm not doing anything "successful" or amazing with my life at the moment. Just trying to finish school and study for the final exams. And maybe that's okay because I am quite young and I've got the rest of my life ahead of me. Or maybe it is because even though I try, I'm still gettting nowhere.
A little part inside of me wants to compete with people. It wants to strive to be the best at what I do, to be better than the rest of them. A little voice inside of me told me that I wasn't good enough. "Look where you are now, and look at them. You'll never catch up. You'll never be as good as they are." I felt a fear creep in, a fear I saw amoung my high school friends but never felt till now: what am I going to do with my life? And what is the purpose of this existance?
But my God told me something wonderful. Life is just not about all this competing. It's not about winners and losers. It's not about being the most smartest, most prettiest, most fashionable and on trend, most qualified and educated. It's not about going to the most prestigious course, how many friends and contacts you can accumalate, how many places you have travelled or the fame and money. It is surely not about trophys and awards, or recognition and popularity. Sure these things can be added to life, but they are not what life is about.
Life is about love. Loving God and loving people. I look at Jesus and I see that this is how we are supposed to walk. He didn't strive to be the best carpenter in the business, or the best preacher. He didn't live for money, fame, looks or anything that we are so caught up with today. He simply did what His Father put Him on the earth to do: ultimately, love.
To love people in a way that allows them to be free and bring them closer to their Creator. That they may be able to spread that love and advance the Kingdom of God.
To love God and get to know Him better. To fall more deeply in love with Him and continue to seek and thirst for Him. To allow Him to mould us like a Potter and his clay.
At the end of my life, I may not remember the accomplishments I have acheived, the places I have travelled, the money I gained, the fame I acquired, how many friends I had...but I want to have left in my place the legacy of love. I want the people who knew me to be marked with my testimony of how great and good and merciful God has been to me, that they may know His love too. And when I finally see my beautiful Maker, I want Him to say to me, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'
Whatever God calls us to do, wherever he takes each person reading this, I feel we must hang on to this call to love above all.
Seeing my friends succeed and pass another stepping stone in their lives is exciting and wonderful to be a part of. They are reaching their long time goals, fulfilling their wildest dreams and living their lives the way they want to. So why is it that it is disheartning to me? I think it is because I feel like I'm not doing anything "successful" or amazing with my life at the moment. Just trying to finish school and study for the final exams. And maybe that's okay because I am quite young and I've got the rest of my life ahead of me. Or maybe it is because even though I try, I'm still gettting nowhere.
A little part inside of me wants to compete with people. It wants to strive to be the best at what I do, to be better than the rest of them. A little voice inside of me told me that I wasn't good enough. "Look where you are now, and look at them. You'll never catch up. You'll never be as good as they are." I felt a fear creep in, a fear I saw amoung my high school friends but never felt till now: what am I going to do with my life? And what is the purpose of this existance?
But my God told me something wonderful. Life is just not about all this competing. It's not about winners and losers. It's not about being the most smartest, most prettiest, most fashionable and on trend, most qualified and educated. It's not about going to the most prestigious course, how many friends and contacts you can accumalate, how many places you have travelled or the fame and money. It is surely not about trophys and awards, or recognition and popularity. Sure these things can be added to life, but they are not what life is about.
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22: 36-40
Life is about love. Loving God and loving people. I look at Jesus and I see that this is how we are supposed to walk. He didn't strive to be the best carpenter in the business, or the best preacher. He didn't live for money, fame, looks or anything that we are so caught up with today. He simply did what His Father put Him on the earth to do: ultimately, love.
To love people in a way that allows them to be free and bring them closer to their Creator. That they may be able to spread that love and advance the Kingdom of God.
To love God and get to know Him better. To fall more deeply in love with Him and continue to seek and thirst for Him. To allow Him to mould us like a Potter and his clay.
At the end of my life, I may not remember the accomplishments I have acheived, the places I have travelled, the money I gained, the fame I acquired, how many friends I had...but I want to have left in my place the legacy of love. I want the people who knew me to be marked with my testimony of how great and good and merciful God has been to me, that they may know His love too. And when I finally see my beautiful Maker, I want Him to say to me, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'
Whatever God calls us to do, wherever he takes each person reading this, I feel we must hang on to this call to love above all.
So true.
ReplyDeleteAnd there are always going to be someone out there who's better than you at one thing or another, but like you posted, love is more abundant. Especially at the end of the day, when it's just you and God, to have enough love for him, and enough appreciation for yourself.
Thanks for teaching me something new today Jenny :)
<3
"at the end of the day, when it's just you and God, to have enough love for him and enough appreciation for yourself." - I love this. Thank you for teaching me something today too!
ReplyDelete<3chu!