Daily Delight
For as long as I can remember, I have carried around an internal measuring stick. I use it to compare myself to everyone else that I meet. Sometimes, the measurements make me proud, but more often they show me just how much I lack. This feeling of insufficiency haunts me daily. Did I do enough? Did I say the right thing? Am I capable of achieving that? Do I look good in this? Every time one of these questions springs to mind, I pull out my measuring stick and agonize over the invisible notches I will never meet.
If there is one thing that God has to constantly remind me, it’s that my worth is not based on my metrics. There is no scoreboard comparing me to every other woman in the world. I know these truths, but I don’t live them. I want to measure up. I want to “arrive” at that fictional place of perfect acceptance, beauty, and success.
Inadequacy is a fickle thing. There are no set definitions for what the perfect woman/wife/friend/daughter should look like. Feeling “less than” is a choice, so why do we choose it so often? When I stop and listen to God’s heart, I remember that He is the expert of using the most broken, boring nobodies to accomplish great things. I see that He redefines the standards because He sees the larger picture.
In 2 Corinthians 3:4-5, Paul says, “Such confidence we have through Christ, before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” There is only one competency before God that matters, and Jesus already fulfilled it. He made it possible for us to be confident and hopeful in our future. He has already cemented our worth and has promised that His power will be made perfect through our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
Take heart sisters, inadequacy is not a reality, it’s a feeling. It does not disqualify you from being used mightily. Your abilities, appearance, successes, failures, and all the other pieces that make you intrinsically you were set intentionally. Ask your good Father to show you how He sees you. Throw away the measuring stick, cling tightly to His promises instead.
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Photo: @briannabroyles
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Amanda Hertzler
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Amanda lives in Wyomissing, PA with her husband and new beaglier puppy. When she is not working at her job in Human Resources, you could probably find her either hiding with a book and a large cup of tea, or dancing around her house singing whatever song happens to be in her head in that moment. She also enjoys running, baking, and hanging out with the crazy teens who actually trust her to be one of their youth group leaders.
Recently, Amanda has been learning more about what it means to pursue the true identity of who she is in Christ, rather than live under fear, inadequacy, or perfectionism. She's a bit of a slow learner, but thankfully there's lots of grace for that. She loves connecting with new people so please reach out with comments or questions.
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