Please, Read This Article

I'm linking up this post to an article I read a week or two ago. It deals with kids, and as you know, we don't have any. This little fact doesn't mean that the article doesn't apply to me. At the heart of this article is the idea that we as women need to stop comparing ourselves to each other.

Confession time: I do this. I do this A LOT! I don't look like ______. My house isn't clean or decorated like __________. You get the idea.

But here's the deal: the people in our lives don't care if we aren't just like Ms. So-and-So. The people in our lives who really care about us, love us for who WE  are, just as we are.

My husband married me because he loves ME, not because I'm someone else. My husband loves me, flaws, quirks and imperfections included (even if I do make him a little crazy every now and then- it's good for him, right? ;) This means that I need to stope trying to be someone I'm not. This means I need to stop comparing myself to someone else and just embrace being me. No guilt trips. No wishing I could do something as good as ___________.

The other thing this article pointed out was that we are often comparing ourselves to the random assortment of odds and ends that we find on blogs, magazines, TV and Pinterest. Before you think I'm going to bask Pinterest, I'm not. I LOVE Pinterest. It's a huge help for me when I'm planning meals, looking for ideas for decorating my home, or just feel like wasting time. Pinterest is a great resource for researching all kinds of stuff. Pinterest and I are tight. BUT, if I let Pinterest control my life and the way I view myself, or allow it to determine my self-worth, then it's time to step back and call time out.

My value doesn't come from how clean, organized and perfectly decorated my house is, complete with the perfectly cooked meal in the oven. My value doesn't come from the clothes I wear or how I look. My value comes from the One who made me. My value comes because of who Christ has done in my life and what He is continuing to do in my life (Have I mentioned that I'm glad He's not through molding and shaping me yet? Cuz I'm really, as in REALLY-CRAZY-GLAD He's not done with me yet!)

God created me for a purpose. He created me with a specific set of skills, abilities, dreams and talents that all fit together for that purpose. (I'm still working on understanding that purpose, but one step at a time, right?) He has made me unique. Unique means I'm different from you, but it's good. Our purposes and journeys to those purposes are different, but that's all in the design. It's good, really good.

As you read the article, be encouraged. Be yourself. Embrace what God has given you and the road He's got you traveling.

Here's the Article. I hope it is as encouraging for you as it is for me.