I remember in high school sometimes complaining to my parents that I wasn't really good at anything. While a good student, I was far from being valedictorian. While an enthusiastic cross country and track captain, I spent most of my time injured and running the ranks of junior varsity. I couldn't sing solos like the Cottles, I wasn't fashionable or witty, and, heck, I wasn't even that great at making my bangs big.
When I complained about my lack of talents to my parents, they would always dutifully console me and remind me about some of the less visible skills that I had--you know like french braiding my own hair, eating 3 doughnuts in a sitting, and saying all the books of the New Testament in under 30 seconds. Yeah, I was just that cool. Later my dad, during one of their pep talks, introduced me to the quote, "Jack of all trades, master of none." Though he meant it as a compliment that I could do many types of things reasonably well, I always thought of it as a sad, but apt description of my abilities.
Now I'm 30 or so years past my high school days and I still find myself occasionally plagued by the same insecurities. I try my darnedest to do all the things I feel like I’m “supposed” to do, but rarely feel like it’s enough. It’s easy to look around and see all of the people who can do x, y, or z better than me.
One day a few years ago, I came across this article on the church website. It was the first time that I even realized that the church website had a blog section with articles written by every day people. This article, called, “The Perfect Lie,” rocked my world in a very real way. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend stopping to read it right now. Even if you have read it, but not for a while, I recommend reading it again. It’s life-changing.
I realized that I had been living my life exactly the way she described in the beginning of her article--going through life with my long-list of things I need to do and if only I can cross enough of those off my list, then maybe I’ll reach some elusive state of goodness or contentment in my life.
The author puts it as the ME + MORE = CHRISTLIKE way of living life.
The problem is, is that that “MORE” list is endless. I want to be MORE spiritual, serve MORE, read the scriptures MORE, be MORE fit, be MORE sensitive to those I minister to, cook MORE healthy food, clean the house MORE, etc. etc. While none of those desires is wrong or bad, the list is truly endless and there’s absolutely no way that I’ll ever be able to do enough MORE to actually be Christlike. It’s a hamster wheel that Satan would love for us to stay on endlessly, because it’s discouraging and unsatisfying in the best of times, but absolutely heartrending when things, out of our control, come and take away our abilities to do even the bare minimum in our lives, yet alone the MORE. Things like poor health (our own or that of a family member), a lost job, a big move, mental illness, a struggling child, or whatever can wreak havoc on our efforts to always be MORE. (PS All those examples I listed are things that we’ve faced in our family.)
But when we change up the equation and instead look for ways to add Christ to our lives, through him we can be ENOUGH. It’s actually a beautiful change.
It’s a change of semantics, but it’s powerful. When we go through our days and seek for ways to make Christ a part of our days, rather than an item on a to-do list, it changes everything.
I love this quote from the article:
What does making Christ a part of my day look like for me?
It means getting off the hamster wheel of elusive perfectionism, putting away my phone, even if for a short time, and allowing myself to study and feel the words of Christ without distraction. It means sharing with my children the insights I gain. It means seeking for more time to be still and know that God is there. Does it always go smoothly? No way. But I’ve found that as I’ve made Christ a part of my day, rather than an item on a checklist, that he takes me as I am--flaws and all--and, through his grace, I am strengthened to be MORE, and even better, to be ENOUGH.
When I complained about my lack of talents to my parents, they would always dutifully console me and remind me about some of the less visible skills that I had--you know like french braiding my own hair, eating 3 doughnuts in a sitting, and saying all the books of the New Testament in under 30 seconds. Yeah, I was just that cool. Later my dad, during one of their pep talks, introduced me to the quote, "Jack of all trades, master of none." Though he meant it as a compliment that I could do many types of things reasonably well, I always thought of it as a sad, but apt description of my abilities.
Now I'm 30 or so years past my high school days and I still find myself occasionally plagued by the same insecurities. I try my darnedest to do all the things I feel like I’m “supposed” to do, but rarely feel like it’s enough. It’s easy to look around and see all of the people who can do x, y, or z better than me.
One day a few years ago, I came across this article on the church website. It was the first time that I even realized that the church website had a blog section with articles written by every day people. This article, called, “The Perfect Lie,” rocked my world in a very real way. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend stopping to read it right now. Even if you have read it, but not for a while, I recommend reading it again. It’s life-changing.
I realized that I had been living my life exactly the way she described in the beginning of her article--going through life with my long-list of things I need to do and if only I can cross enough of those off my list, then maybe I’ll reach some elusive state of goodness or contentment in my life.
The author puts it as the ME + MORE = CHRISTLIKE way of living life.
The problem is, is that that “MORE” list is endless. I want to be MORE spiritual, serve MORE, read the scriptures MORE, be MORE fit, be MORE sensitive to those I minister to, cook MORE healthy food, clean the house MORE, etc. etc. While none of those desires is wrong or bad, the list is truly endless and there’s absolutely no way that I’ll ever be able to do enough MORE to actually be Christlike. It’s a hamster wheel that Satan would love for us to stay on endlessly, because it’s discouraging and unsatisfying in the best of times, but absolutely heartrending when things, out of our control, come and take away our abilities to do even the bare minimum in our lives, yet alone the MORE. Things like poor health (our own or that of a family member), a lost job, a big move, mental illness, a struggling child, or whatever can wreak havoc on our efforts to always be MORE. (PS All those examples I listed are things that we’ve faced in our family.)
But when we change up the equation and instead look for ways to add Christ to our lives, through him we can be ENOUGH. It’s actually a beautiful change.
ME + CHRIST = ENOUGH
It’s a change of semantics, but it’s powerful. When we go through our days and seek for ways to make Christ a part of our days, rather than an item on a to-do list, it changes everything.
I love this quote from the article:
“As I studied Jesus’s life, I realized this was the continuous theme in His entire ministry: taking the weakest things of this earth and using His power to transform them into something miraculous.
Christ never asked us to give more than we have to give. Rather He asks, pleads, and invites us to learn of Him, come to Him, trust Him, and let Him make us more than we are.”
What does making Christ a part of my day look like for me?
It means getting off the hamster wheel of elusive perfectionism, putting away my phone, even if for a short time, and allowing myself to study and feel the words of Christ without distraction. It means sharing with my children the insights I gain. It means seeking for more time to be still and know that God is there. Does it always go smoothly? No way. But I’ve found that as I’ve made Christ a part of my day, rather than an item on a checklist, that he takes me as I am--flaws and all--and, through his grace, I am strengthened to be MORE, and even better, to be ENOUGH.
***********************************************
"Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us, make us cynical about the truths of the gospel, the truthfulness of the Church, our hope for our future, or the possibility of godliness. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection."
Jeffrey R. Holland
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