Have you ever noticed how quickly comparing yourself to someone else can ruin almost anything? A good mood, a great idea, a new opportunity, an exciting adventure, a well-earned accomplishment, or even a God-sized dream.
As soon as we start looking around at what others have done, we start criticizing what we’re doing. Certainly, looking at someone else’s success can be inspiring and motivating to reach for the stars, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.
I’m talking about the comparisons that make us think we can’t do something and shouldn’t even try; when we look at someone else’s accomplishments and pick apart our own.
When we believe the enemy’s lies.
In her book, You’re Made for a God-sized Dream, author Holley Gerth lists five lies that keep us from dreaming.
Lie #1: “Dreaming is Selfish”
Lie #2: “I Don’t Have What It Takes”
Lie #3: “It’s Too Late”
Lie #4: “I Don’t Deserve to Dream”
Lie #5: “I Don’t Have Time”
Which ones get in your way? For me, the second and third are the ones I have to work the most on. I can too easily give up because someone else is doing what I dream of doing…as if one person’s success takes away the possibility that I can succeed.
To fight the lies, I have to determine what is thought and what is truth.Click To TweetThought: This woman is a wonderful speaker on a national stage. I can’t measure up to that. Why am I even trying to speak at a women’s event at my local church?
Truth: I don’t have to measure up to someone else; I just have to follow where God leads.
God calls each of us in different ways. Two speakers may have a similar message, but each will deliver the message in her own way, with her own story, and reach different audiences. That’s how God works. Our dreams and skills may look alike, but He knows each will be carried out differently because He did not create us to be exactly the same.
The dream He gives you is unique to you because the journey of getting there will be your own.Click To TweetThought: I don’t have what it takes. I’m not good enough.
Truth: Very few people are able to do something perfectly when they first start. We need time and practice to hone a craft, and even then there will still be room for improvement.
God-sized dreams are made for you and God to work on together. You may not be confident in your skills or in what God is calling you to do, but you can be confident that He knows what He’s doing. If He’s calling you, He will prepare you. In His time and His way.
Thought: It’s too late. My age, background, history, ________ (fill in the blank) are too much to overcome. I waited too long; I missed the boat.
Truth: We put time limits on ourselves that don’t come from God. Yes, the perfect opportunity (in your eyes) may have passed, but that doesn’t mean He hasn’t planned a new opportunity.
Life doesn’t go as smoothly as we would like, and things like family commitments, financial difficulties, illness, bad choices, and _________ (again, fill in the blank here) pull us away from our goals. Life has changed and your days and future don’t look like you wanted them to, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late.
If God is calling you to something, and you’re willing, then He’ll get you there. It may take longer and it may be more difficult than you’d hoped. He may bypass the straight road and lead you the long way around, but that time is when He’s preparing you.
Whatever you’ve struggled with is not too much for God, and it does not discount you from dreaming God-sized dreams. In fact, our times of struggle are when we often feel closest to God. It’s when we realize how much we need Him and that He doesn’t turn away from us.
What lies are holding you back?
Try to identify what’s thought and what’s truth—what the enemy wants you to believe and what God promises you. And remember that no matter how a situation looks, nothing is impossible for God. Nothing.
Shared by: Laura Rath
[Photo credit: Unsplash.com]
