Dancing with Cinderella

I love getting thes e-mails from Monday through Friday.  It is usually the first e-mail I read every morning.  I would say about 99% of the time it is the EXACT message I am needing to hear at the moment.  God has spoken to me a great deal through these messages and I am thankful for that.  Today’s message was no different.  In fact, I believe that today’s message has been the most powerful one for me.  It described MY situation SO well about the walk I am taking with the Lord… I recently discovered exactly what it was that I had to offer…

So… not too much rambling from me today… I will just share today’s e-mail with you.

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“Moses said to the LORD, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been
eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am
slow of speech and tongue.’” Exodus 4:10 (NIV 2011)

When a move took my family from one side of the country to the other,
insecurity surprised me. Despite being a confident woman in most areas of my
life, I suddenly felt out of place and questioned my abilities.

Don’t get me wrong. The people were delightful and welcoming. It’s just that
I felt so different. It seemed all the women I met were smartly dressed and
spoke with charming accents. I, on the other hand, wore casual clothes and spoke
in what suddenly seemed like a boring monotone.

But that wasn’t all. God placed me in a work situation with women who had
impressive resumes and accomplishments compared to me. These women had also been
working together for years. They knew their purpose and seemed self-assured. As
a newcomer, my confidence was shaky as I compared my experience and talent to
theirs.

Over time, the differences magnified as my friends achieved more success. My
gifts and talents seemed insignificant. I wondered how or why God would use
someone like me, a somewhat simple and straightforward woman, when there were so
many beautiful and charming ones nearby.

Although my head spoke words of doubt, God was strengthening my heart with
His truth. He was teaching me that His love for me and my potential weren’t tied
to performance. It didn’t matter what my “resume” looked like, or what level of
“success” I achieved.

He wanted me to accept His love…just as I was. This truth shouted freedom to
an achievement-based woman like me.

It didn’t happen overnight, but as I learned that my value was found in being
a beloved daughter of God, I realized God had never compared me to anyone. He
wasn’t counting accomplishments or gauging my impact. He was simply interested
in what I did with what He entrusted to me.

After years of disqualifying myself, I finally accepted that God created me
unique for a reason. The way I think, my personality and talents are all tools
to accomplish God’s plan for me. What I saw as flaws, He saw as potential. And
the more I invested in how God made me, the greater He was glorified, and the
more impactful I was at work and in ministry.

The same is true for every woman. God’s design of you is intentional. You
aren’t like your mother, sister or friend for a reason. Your life and ministry
will never look like the manager you admire, the women’s ministry director at
your church, or the woman who lives next door.

And that’s a good thing, because God doesn’t want you to be like them. He
wants you to be YOU.

The challenge today is to release the expectations you’ve placed on yourself
and explore God’s amazing plan for you. You’ll discover what I did: Everyone has
something to offer.

Dear Lord, thank You for placing potential within me. Forgive me for
neglecting the gifts and talents You’ve given me, or for wishing I had someone
else’s abilities and experiences. Help me to embrace Your design of me, and to
explore the incredible plan You have for me. In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

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What do you have to offer the Lord?  We all have something…