Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I Think I Need a Longer Yardstick

I have read Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." about 1,524,671 times, give or take a few. But like God does at times, He revealed something new to me this week once hidden in his Word. God gives the only true measuring stick we are suppose to use when comparing ourselves to anyone. God is the only one we should be comparing ourselves to. (Sorry about ending that sentence with a preposition.)

I catch myself comparing myself to the super holy older, wiser woman at church, or the friend that seems to always have it together, or the wife who cooks every night for er family, or the girls on the cover of just about any magazine, except maybe Senior Living. God makes it clear that He is the only one we should compare ourselves to, not these others we seem to think are "perfect."

I had a dream last night that I want to share with you. You know that state of sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night, and slowly drift off to sleep. I dreamed that all of those perfect people I previously mentioned, were standing in a beautiful field, with a blanket of stars overhead in the night sky. One woman was holding her worn Bible filled with verses that she knew by heart. Another person was thumbing through her perfectly organized day planner displaying her perfect time management skills. A smiling woman standing nearby was wearing a SuperMom shirt holding ten reading awards her preschooler had recently won. Next to her was a beautiful wife wearing a perfectly clean apron holding a fresh baked, homemade, organic dessert that left a sweet aroma in the air. Lastly I saw a stunning friend holding a measuring tape that would fit around only the tiniest of wastes in her hand.

Then all of a sudden, the night sky began to make way for a glorious sunrise. As it rose, each of the perfect people in the field began to bring me their "gifts." Soon, I was wearing a SuperMom shirt, holding a yummy dessert dish, reading awards, and all my dreams were finally falling into place. As I was relishing this realization, the beautiful sunrise completely mesmerized me. I was in awe of God's breathtaking display before my eyes. All I wanted to do was praise Him. I began to lift my hands to the sky, but my arms were too full. They were too heavy with what I had acquired on my own to raise. I knew I had a decision to make. I could continue to hold on to "my" new gifts and accomplishments, or I could lay them all down before God and praise Him with all of my heart and all of my imperfections. Just Celeste.

God showed me through this, that He made me the way I am, and to stop the comparisons. His glory is more important!

3 comments:

Lydia said...

I love how God speaks to us through dreams. I'm so glad you shared this with us. Thank you for the reminder of why we are placed on this earth. Jesus, and Jesus alone! :)

The Sasser Crew said...

That is AMAZING!! What a great picture of how we must be empty of ourselves to truly enjoy his greatness!! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

You dreamed about me again? ha ha
Seriously though--that was an incredible dream! Love ya! Erika