Society has a way of telling women who we should be. They say that unless we are doing more than the woman next to us, we are not doing enough. I wonder, what is enough?
IS BEING ENOUGH…
…having more money than her?
…having a bigger house than her?
…having a nicer car than her?
...working longer hours than her?
…waking up earlier than her?
…training harder than her?
…having more degrees than her?
…having a better physique than her?
...having a better job than her?
…having more children than her?
…having a cleaner house than her?
…sacrificing more than her?
…running more miles than her?
…having nicer nails than her?
…having more Facebook friends than her?
To put this simply, these expectations are UNREALISTIC!! With these types of worldly standards, we will NEVER BE ENOUGH!! Praise God that He does not set unrealistic expectations like the world we live in. More is not always better and to define being ENOUGH based on someone else’s life is not what Christ intended.
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 ESV)
Ladies, we have to start by changing the mindset we have of ourselves. We easily talk about self-love and acceptance to our children and friends, but fail to fully embrace and love ourselves.
We have to accept ourselves and stop playing this never-ending game of being MORE THAN. We need to embrace the lives we live, right where we are, rather than comparing our journey's chapter nine to someone else's chapter twenty. You may have the same goal as someone else, but that does not mean two people will walk the same journey to achieve that goal. We need to intentionally work together rather than comparing and pitting ourselves against one another.
There has to come a point that we stop adding the unnecessary pressure of an expectation that isn’t there. Personally, I am continually working on eliminating my perfectionist mentality. I am not an "expert" on self-love, but after years of seeing the downfall of validation through comparison -- be it of myself or clients from within the fitness industry -- it wreaks havoc on your physical and spiritual health.
Ladies, it’s so beautiful that we get to rely on God’s truth and stand firm upon the promises that He spoke into existence. I love to quote 1 John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” God is within you; you are MORE THAN ENOUGH!! It’s time we show love to ourselves by living as the example we are preaching to the daughters and young girls of today.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30 ESV)
The next generation is already here -- they are listening -- they are watching.
What unrealistic standards do you need to prune from your life and replace with a Godly truth?
Imperfectly Yours,
-Katie