Running in your lane?

I noticed one of the things I say to people (especially the youth I teach), is "make sure you are running YOUR race, that you are being who God created YOU to be".
When I talk to people about life principles and just life in general, I always try and talk about things that I practice myself, not things that I don't do (practice what you preach and all that).

Well, today in my devotional time I was asked that same question that I so often ask... Am I running my own race.

"Woops"

Holly Wagner speaks about watching sprinters in a race and how they all stay in their own lane otherwise they will be disqualified from the race. She writes, "How many of us are trying to get through life running in someone else's lane?"

Well, I'm reading away thinking , YES and AMEN when... I get to the end and she says go and write down 3 things you are great at and 1 thing you are passionate about. That got me!
It made me realize how much easier it is to tell someone that then to do it.

I'm a classic for trying to run in someone else's lane. I see cool things and think... Yeah, I could be good at that. But why try and be good and something God didn't create you to do, when you could be great at something that He did.

There is no one in this world that can be me better than I can. It is the same for everyone. I think that we forget sometimes that we loose out when we try and run in someone else's lane. But not only that, all the people around us do, as well as God. We not only rip ourselves off, we rip the others off too.

What I learnt?
Be an inspiration, and let others be an inspiration.
Don't try and take from someone else's what works for them and try and make it work better for me.
It is Ok that I am not good at everything, just as long as I am great at being me.
No one can take that, even if they try!

I will be who God has created me to be. That way I can be great.

"Everyone has the power of greatness- not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Write down what you are great at. What is it that you have been gifted to do? Serve in that area and you will be made great!

Pretty basic stuff, but something the majority of the world misses.
Something like 5% of Christians are doing what they are called to do.

Appreciation/ Acknowledgment

Twice now I have been given this scripture by someone. Is God trying to tell me something????
James 1:4. It talks about perseverance being complete.

You know when things are just so hectic, and you wonder if anyone really cares about or, appreciates or, acknowledges the things you do. Or do we do it all in vein?

Well, the first question is... Who do we do it for?
The next question is... Why do we do it?

The first question is so important if we want to feel good about the things that we do. (Feeling good isn't the reason why we should be doing things but that is another thing).
If we are doing things just for people to see us doing them, well we are going to wear ourselves out.
Doing things for people always seems to get me down. Us humans don't always seem to see all the little things that go into everything others do. We don't always give others the recognition they are expecting, even if they deserve it or not. They may be the most appreciative person in the world, but they aren't perfect and they get stuff wrong, and they miss things.
This is why we MUST do everything we do for God. God sees all, and He sees our hearts as well.
God will always give us the recognition we deserve.

The second question should be the driving force. Why do you do what you do? That is it! Why do you do what you do?

I think that this might seem like simple, silly stuff when you read it (or write it, as the case may be), but when we try and live like this, in a world where everyone is trying to impress others, (girls buying the latest clothing, guys trying to make the most money, have the coolest car, people trying to get the best career, putting others down to lift themselves up, and so on and so on, that is where the challenge lies.

Do we do things for recognition?
I think everyone wants to be appreciated, but who is going to give that to us whenever we need it...not whenever we want it... but whenever we need it?

This week God showed me that He appreciates what I do. Just when I needed it. I just need to keep persevering.
I was shown appreciation from human, but above that, God let me know, He is always watching.

I'm not really one to do things for recognition, but I do hope that people believe in me and appreciate me.
It is important for us to appreciate people and let them know that. But for yourself, don't do things based on that. You will just become more and more discouraged.