"Dream small Don't bother like you've gotta do it all Just let Jesus use you where you are One day at a time" PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS SONG! As I have said before in my past posts is that I connect with God a lot through Christian music. I recently came across this song and fell in love with it. One of the many things I struggle with is trying to do everything. It is hard for me to say no to someone when they ask me to do something. And I want to be involved, so I try to pile on the activities, responsibilities, obligations, and service. Now I don't just want to do the activities, but I want to complete that task to perfection and frankly just be the best at it. My personality is very perfectionistic which is one of my strengths but also one of my downfalls. I feel this pressure inside of me telling me to push myself far beyond my best towards perfection, but quickly I have learned that I am not perfect. I am not the best. And I have had to accept that, or I would just be miserable trying to make every aspect of my life perfect. Who wants to live that way? Throughout high school, that wore on me. I was trying to be the best student, the best Flood chief organizer, the best student athletic trainer, the best small group leader, the best friend, the best daughter, the best everything. I got tired real quick because that was impossible. If I didn't live up to my own expectations, I would be so down on myself because I felt like I could do better. I knew God had huge plans for me, and I just wanted to complete everything that I thought was in His plan. I was so focused on the big picture.
So when I was a fill in leader at the walk, God put something on my heart to do a devotional book with one of the girls. This book was called 'Grace, Not Perfection'. Just the title sounds perfect (hahaha) for me. We started reading this book, and I could not relate to this author more. She felt like she had to have her life together all the time and be the best at all the things she did. It wore her out just like it did for me. As I am reading this book, she constantly is saying do not miss the little nuggets of goodness. Savor those little nuggets of goodness. Find those little nuggets of goodness in your life. Over and over again she said this phrase, and I caught on. It made me realize that I should cherish those little moments that happen in our lives. Then this song came about. God's timing is perfect! In the chorus above, it talks about dreaming small and don't feel like you have to do it all. That is just an overwhelming sense of peace. Saying that it is taken care of by Jesus, so you don't have to feel like you have to have everything on your shoulders. It is just one day at a time. Another one of my favorite lines in this song is "these simple moments change the world", and it is so true. Those little, simple moments are little nuggets of goodness. Have you ever had a little moment turn into something huge? I remember when I went to Mexico the second year on a mission trip, one of the little boys I met the previous year ran up to me and started crying (actually bawling). I was a little taken back, but I loved on him and cried with him. Later to find out, he told me he thought I was never returning to Mexico and he missed me everyday. he explained that he didn't have a lot of friends, but the year before I was dancing and singing with him and made him feel loved, wanted, and not alone. Just that little act of smiling, dancing, laughing, changed that little guy. I miss him like crazy, but I pray for him. That is such a precious nugget of goodness. How do we dream small? How can we focus on those little moments? I challenge you to be who you are and who God created you to be. I challenge you to ditch perfection (because only Jesus can achieve that), and just start loving people. And I challenge myself all of those thing daily. It is hard to focus on the small moments when the world is telling us to look at the big picture. "Of course, there's nothing wrong with bigger dreams Just don't miss the minutes on your way, your bigger things" IT IS OKAY TO DREAM BIG. Jesus has huge plans for each and every one of us, but like the song says: don't miss the minutes on your way to bigger things. Each minute is precious. Each minute brings a whole new experience. Take that minute and use it to glorify Jesus. "Visit the widow down the street or dance with your friend with special needs." Every person matters. You matter. I hope you listen to this song because truly just reading about it doesn't explain or justify the awesomeness. My prayer is that we will ditch perfection and let God use us right where we are. You are a world changer-- one day at a time. Book Info: Grace, Not Perfection by Emily Ley (10/10 recommend!)
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Lindsey LawtonJust a college freshman trying to figure life out Archives
January 2019
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