We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:12
It seemed simple enough. Hoping for some relief from all the traveling and activity, I had determined that I would become a cookie baker extraordinaire. Sure, it was a stretch, but I wanted to feel normal, like my life was predictable for a change. I was going to be like the other moms at Catherine’s school and bake treats for the fund drive instead of buying something on the way to school in the morning. After following every single one of the cookbook’s instructions, all I can say is that the cookie baking resulted in a smoky kitchen and burned cookies.
Later that night after putting the girls to bed, I distinctly heard the Lord ask me, “Who exactly are you trying to be?” I sat down to spend some time with God so he could help me make some sense out of the last few days. He simply reminded me that he had made Christine Caine unique from every other person on this planet and that being unique is okay; in fact, it’s his intention.
I felt God say to me, “The reason you are not like someone else is because I don’t need another someone else — I need a unique you.” Instantly, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I realized that just because I’m not super-cookie-baker-extraordinaire, it doesn’t mean I’m not exactly the kind of woman God created me to be. The reason I had become discontent was because I had allowed my focus to shift from pursuing my own unique life-print to the life-prints of some of the women around me.
This experience taught me that nothing good comes from comparing our unique call from God with someone else’s. We definitely want to be wise women (and men), so let’s decide we are going to discover God’s life-print for our lives and fulfill it. We are each graced for our particular race and not anyone else’s.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What are two things about your life that set you apart from your family and friends?