I'm not great with words (I actually stumble over them quite a lot), I'm not great at remembering a multitude of different things and keeping them all straight, I'm not great at explaining things (you may be more confused after talking to me than you were to start with), and I'm not great at getting everything right the first time (this may be my second time writing this.) Actually, I'm pretty sure there's more "not great" things about me than great things. Sometimes I can be really confident in what I'm doing, I'll think I've finally got the hang of it, but then other times I feel like throwing in the towel and giving up because I don't think I can or ever will possibly be good enough to do anything as well as everyone else seems to be able to get so naturally.
On some days I'm really confident in school work, in writing devotions, or in doing whatever it is that I do; other times I look around and realize how far away I am from being great. I see how everyone else is so extremely talented and so extremely good at what they're doing. I get a B on a test? They get an A. I think I did something really well, I look over and they've done it better than I ever could. I'll look around at everyone and at everything and it all seems so great and everyone's so good at everything, then I'm over here, feeling like I'm drowning in all of the things I'm trying to be at least kind of good at. (Did that even make sense? Remember, I kind of stink at explaining things.)
I'm not going to start to say how I'm actually really great and that none of these things are true. I'm not going to go on to tell you how spectacular I am, underneath all of these silly flaws. They are all 100% true and underneath these silly flaws are probably more (haha!), but there is actually something spectacularly great within all of these "not great" things...it just doesn't have anything to do with me or my greatness.
A verse I read during a sermon on the Holy Spirit recently was 2 Timothy 1:7, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
Being a Christian, I have the Holy Spirit inside of me, but I don't think I realize how amazing that actually is all the time. I may not be totally confident 24/7, I may not be the best at everything I do, but this verse tells me that with God I have great power! There's no need to be timid, but to be confident in the Spirit who lives in me! It's not that I'm actually really great, but that God is. I mess up, I fall down, I don't always do things right, but God always does and His Spirit lives inside of me and gives me power!
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11
That same spirit who raised Jesus from the dead three days later is that same Spirit who lives inside of me! How extremely encouraging is that!? I don't have to worry about being good enough and I don't have to worry about leaning on my own abilities. It's not about how great I can be, but how great God already is and always will be.
So, don't stress yourself out about being perfect, don't get caught up in trying to be the best. Without God we really aren't much, but with God we can do all things!
Much love,
Natalie