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As I sat down to watch The Voice tonight the same recurring thought I have every time I watch this show came to mind, "Gosh, these singers are so much better than me!"  Since I was a little girl, I've loved to sing. It was the one thing  I felt like I was good at naturally from a young age. My mom drove me to a few singing competitions when I was around 10-13 years old and every time I went to audition, I always heard other wonderful singers who were much better than me.

But that never stopped me from singing. And it didn't discourage me from writing music, picking up the guitar at sixteen and recording my first album during my senior year of high school.

Because I believed that God had a calling on my life. Without that, I would have given up a long time ago.

Sometimes I think we believe that if we are not the best at something, then we shouldn't do it at all. I know I have been discouraged from doing a lot of things because I knew someone else who was better than me at it. Whether it was writing, or photography, or teaching, or singing. I may love to do it, but that isn't always enough for me to step out of the fear that I will humiliate myself by trying.

But God doesn't always call the best. 

There is a verse in 1 Timothy that we use often to encourage teenagers to follow Jesus. But when thinking about this insecurity we often face when it comes to our talents and abilities, I sensed God leading me to it.

"Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12 

Scholars believe that Timothy was most likely twenty to thirty years old when Paul wrote this to him. Some even say that he could have been as old as 48! A little older than the pre-teen I had pictured in mind. I think this tells us that this verse had a lot more to do with Timothy's inexperience than just his physical age. Paul wanted to encourage Timothy to not worry about people looking down on his skill set or lack of knowledge in certain areas, but instead to live a life of one who is called out by God. 

There are so many examples in the Bible of people called by God who were not "the best" in their field. How about the fact that Moses had a speech impediment and yet, was called to preach? And Jonah was called by God to go boldly into the huge city of Nineveh, but was a coward and ran the other way!

There will always be someone better, more equipped, than you. 

Our calling is not to seek accolades and awards here on earth. Sometimes we miss that and spend all our life striving for worldly recognition. But we'll never have enough of that (just look at the extremes celebrities go to to get noticed these days) and it will leave us discontent.

Likewise, if we try to run and ignore God's calling on our life to do something great for His glory, that too will leave us discontent.

I sense there are many of you out there who are running from something because of fear. Maybe fear of failing, or just not being good enough. I pray today that you will let go of anything that is holding you back from being all that God has created you for.

Do something today, not because you believe you are the best, but because you believe you are called. 

This post is part of a series I’m writing for the month of October entitled “31 Days of Being Content.”  See all other posts in this series by clicking here. Or enter your email address in the sidebar on the right to subscribe to this blog and receive posts straight to your inbox!

How do you read your Bible? When do you read it? What do you read? 

I've grown up hearing the Bible referred to as a roadmap and God's love letter to us.

But I'm pretty sure that not everyone who reads the Bible will find their way to heaven, and the mauling of 42 teenagers in 2 Kings for making fun of a bald guy isn't exactly the type of love letter I am used to reading (what can I say, my husband has set high expectations for me). 

Of course, I know what they are intending by saying this. I just think sometimes we limit the Bible to trivial and cutesy phrases, when it is so much more than that.

The Bible is all the information I can ever know about God.

The power in that is amazing. It should draw us to want to read more of it every day!

And yet, I neglect my Bible for days at a time. Only to find it sitting in the backseat of my car or buried deep in my couch underneath a pile of laundry. Some pastor's wife I am. 

I do read a devotional with two or three Scriptures at the bottom that pertain to the lesson of the day. But I've always felt a little guilty about that. Like I'm using Scripture as a fortune cookie, instead of reading it in context and understanding the whole powerful story.

But the days of sitting down and studying my Bible with a pen, highlighter and journal have honestly been few and far between. When I was a single gal (seems like centuries ago now) me and Jesus had a lot of quality time together. We took walks, had picnics, just us. I'm so thankful I went to Bible college and had the privilege of being immersed in it. But looking back, I took for granted how blessed I really was to have that opportunity. I learned so much about God during those years.

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My season of life and my relationship with God is quite different now, but I don't ever want to stop learning.

It's like dating someone and getting to know them, and then getting married and never trying to learn anything else about them. How exciting would that relationship be? 

Sometimes I feel like that with God.

I'm the one in the marriage who has quit trying. He has never stopped pursuing me. I am too focused on taking care of the family and too focused on doing things for Him. He is continually seeking time to just sit down and talk.

The longer I am away from Him, the more discontent my heart gets. This relationship is real. And it needs attention like any other one.

We have "date nights" reserved for our hubby and are sure to let everyone know how important it is to make that a priority, especially after having kids.

How much more should our passion be for God? 

We need to advocate for that time with Him. Undisturbed, if possible.

I know it's hard, I'm struggling too! But I'd love to hear from those of you who have found a way to make it a priority. So I'll ask those first three questions again, and feel free to share your answers below!

How do you read your Bible? When do you read it? What do you read? 

This post is part of a series I’m writing for the month of October entitled “31 Days of Being Content.”  See all other posts in this series by clicking here. Or enter your email address in the sidebar on the right to subscribe to this blog and receive posts straight to your inbox!

Oh hello there. I hope the crickets on the blog this morning didn't bother you too much. The inevitable happened and I missed a day. We got home yesterday from vacation and in the midst of rushing to get dinner ready, taking care of my boy who has a little cold, and revamping my husband's website to set up an online shop, I ran out of time. No excuses though.

I was hoping no one would notice that I was kinda, already, trailing behind the past few days. I was staying up until a little past midnight to get in a post for that day. Whew. They don't call it a blogging "challenge" for nothing, huh?

And then today I got this text...

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Thanks for noticing, sis. I knew I could count on you.

So here I am. Starting fresh with Day 11. As Day 10 rests in peace in the history of drafts that never get published. 

If you guys want to know the truth, this is how my life seems to go pretty regularly. I am not your Type A personality at all. Actually, I've heard that term so many times and never even knew what the actual traits of a "Type A" personality were. I just knew I was nothing like the people that were saying they were one. So I looked it up for myself:

Type A Personality

• Type A’s have a severe sense of time urgency. They are always running and can hardly relax. If they sat without doing something useful they may end up feeling guilty.
• Type A’s are over achievers, they usually get themselves involved in many different unrelated activities and perform well in them all.
• Type A's biggest problem is stress, they are usually overwhelmed by the amount of tasks they have to do. These tasks are usually a huge list that they planned for themselves.
• Type A is usually competitive and has a high challenging spirit.

Type B Personality

• Type B personality is almost the opposite of Type A. This type of person is relaxed by nature and has no sense of time urgency.
• Type B's have no problems relaxing or sitting without doing anything.
• Type B's may delay the work they have to the last moment and they usually don't get stressed that easily.
• Type B could be an achiever too but his lack of sense of time urgency helps him much in not feeling stressed while doing his tasks.

I would say I definitely lean towards a Type B personality. My husband is a Type A. It's funny, because I really think we've helped each other find a happy balance. I am trying to challenge myself to make lists and complete tasks (on time) more often and he has really learned how to sit down and make time to relax.

I know personality tests and stereotypes are not everything, but there is a peace in knowing how you function. Not to use it as an excuse, quite the opposite actually, but as a way to challenge yourself to improve in your weaknesses.

That's the whole reason I attempted this blogging challenge. Because I need more routine, diligence and perseverance in my life.

So I don't feel like a failure at all for missing one stinkin' day. In my book, this is a record! And all the positive affirmation I've received from so many of you who have been encouraged, uplifted and challenged right along with me - have spurred me on to continue writing from a place of honesty and transparency. I know that I can be real here.

This may sound a little contradictory for a Type B, but I haven't always felt content about my personality.

I've often compared myself with many other more disciplined, organized and detailed women. Those who make lists and collect coupons and plan out their dinner schedules. Those who clean their homes on a routine basis. Those who are never late to an appointment and always the first to send out thank you cards (ugh, that was just a painful reminder that I still need to send out cards from Micah's birthday party).

Those who would never, ever start a blogging challenge and then miss a post. 

I have tried to do all these things, and do them well. But like today, I found myself missing the mark. Again and again.

Then I always go back to the story of Mary and Martha.

I may not be doing all those things well. I may need to improve in many areas of my life involving the mundane and routine tasks. But if every day I can look for the one thing that matters and do that well - I believe that I'm doing the right thing.

Yesterday, blogging was never on "the one thing that mattered" list. My family needed me more. Now, if I had planned ahead (something that I do need to work on) then you would have seen an entirely different post here this morning. But there is a reason for everything, I believe that.

And something else I am super grateful for today? That my relationship with Jesus is never about me measuring up. And if there is ever anything to be content about, it's that.

This post is part of a series I’m writing for the month of October entitled “31 Days of Being Content.”  See all other posts in this series by clicking here. Or enter your email address in the sidebar on the right to subscribe to this blog and receive posts straight to your inbox!