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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!

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!

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After church Sunday, we drove down to Orlando for a little getaway vacation. We've been planning this for a few months now, and were really looking forward to the time away just to rest. And thanks to some great friends, we saved a ton of money on a Disney resort and got a free pass to a theme park of our choice!

We woke up bright and early this morning and headed to Disney's Animal Kingdom. We decided on this park for two reasons - 1) Micah absolutely LOVES animals and 2) There is lots to do for small children and pregnant women. Magic Kingdom is great and we look forward to taking Micah there one day - but honestly, at this age he knows more about animals than Mickey Mouse! We will come back one day when he's older and can remember it (and bring his little sister too!)

It was such a fun day! The Festival of the Lion King show was probably my favorite! I just enjoyed watching Micah captivated by all the singers and dancers. He enjoyed it so much, he fell asleep! Haha! That's when you know it's good - he almost always falls asleep to good music. ;)

Vacations are different as a parent. Especially going to theme parks. There are naps that need to be taken, another mouth to feed, rides that need to be avoided, not to mention a bulky stroller to push around. The list goes on. And you would think that the extra responsibility or hindrance, in some cases, would be a cause of discontentment. But in fact, it's the opposite - I couldn't be more excited about having our little boy with us!

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There is just something about seeing the magic through a child's eyes. I think Josh and I stared at Micah more than we did anything else! The exciting thing is that he is still young and it will only get better as he gets older and understands more of what is going on around him. Every day is like a new adventure waiting to be explored.

When I think about it, I have a lot to learn from him.

I have life experiences, expectations and stereotypes in front of me every day. My discontentment a lot of times is relative to one of these three things. Either it was better in the past, I expected it to be more or it's known to be bad anyway. 

But Micah has none of that. He just sees. He takes every moment in and enjoys what is in front of him.

How different would my life be if I lived this way? And more importantly, if I loved people this way?

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I want to be more like my son, Micah. One of the cutest things he does right now is wave at anyone who comes within five feet of him. And I mean, anyone. Sometimes they don't see his little hand sticking out and don't wave back. But he's not phased. He goes right on looking for someone else to wave to! I'll be sad to see the day he first experiences rejection. I wish he never would.

Going to Disney today with my child for the first time, was probably one of the most content days I've spent at a theme park ever. Why? Because he was content. And living vicariously through him meant we had no other choice but to be content too.

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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!