Verse of the Day: “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” - Galatians 6:4
“Pay careful attention to your own work”...........I have spent the last 10 years in a competitive basketball media industry where I spent the majority of that decade comparing my work to the work of others. When my identity was not in Jesus, but was in the success of 270 Hoops, I may have been one of the most insecure, unhappy people in the industry. Nothing I ever did was enough. I was trying to fill my soul with something that could not fill it, and it drove me further from my original purpose - to help student athletes get the exposure to increase their chances of going to college.
However, since coming to Jesus, I’ve discovered that my identity is in being a child of God. And the Lord loves me whether I am the greatest videographer on the planet or a mediocre one. I don’t have to run events all year round, and spend valuable time away from my family, to fill my soul anymore. God has helped me simplify my life and focus on what matters most. My calling is from God and He will dictate how big (or small) of a success that I will be in the world.
“For then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done”..........The joy that comes from this, especially when you make the transformation that I have, is indescribable. I am so thankful that I no longer stress over how many retweets a competitor is getting, or what players a competitor got for their event (I cannot believe I used to lose sleep over these things!). What’s for me is for me. What’s for them is for them. God decides. Not me. All He needs me to do is honor the life He has given me, do more with what I’ve been given and always aim to work with Christ in any and every capacity.
When we focus on our own work, and stop stressing over what others are doing, it fills us with a joy that will energize us to keep going. Comparison is the thief of joy. It is the enemy who aims to get us worked up about what others are doing, as this will distract and discourage us and make us less effective at our calling.
“And you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else”.........Understanding that God created me for a unique purpose has been a game changer in my faith journey. It has allowed me to no longer stress over things that I cannot control. It has helped me to no longer put my identity in my work or in material things. It has simplified my life and helped me focus on using my gifts and the platform God has blessed me with to bless others. There is no better way to show the heart of Jesus than to love people the way Jesus would.
I would not be capable of doing this type of work if it weren’t for the transformation of my heart that Jesus performed. He took me out of the pit of desperation and comparison and delivered me to freedom. He is the only true path to freedom. In Him we can be fully satisfied with who we are and what we’ve done. God is the one who makes things grow, and when we trust Him to be Him, it takes the pressure off our shoulders to make things happen. All we must do is submit to Him and put Him at the top of our priority list. When we do this, amazing things happen.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” - Matthew 6:33
Let us seek Him first. Let us no longer compare ourselves to our brothers and sisters in Christ, instead focusing on God, this perfect Father in Heaven, and allowing Him to grow us in the areas that we often feel insecure in. What is for us is for us. God is in control and He is good.