Do you need a do-over?
You made a mistake, said words you wish could be taken back, walked away when you should have stayed (or stayed when you should have walked away). You desperately wish you could go back and undo the moment, rewind time and make another choice, but instead you’re left picking up the pieces.
Or maybe everything is okay, but real life feels vanilla — boring and mundane and just plain ordinary.
The days all run together, each one looking like yesterday. You’re waiting for an adventure, for something exciting to come, or simply for tomorrow to look different than today.
Maybe as you read those words, you found yourself thinking, “Actually, everything is going pretty well right now!” Miraculously, all the plates you’re spinning are staying in the air. You’re finally comfortable in your own skin, you’ve found an encouraging friend group, you’re plugged into a Bible study, the to-do list on the counter continues to shrink in size, and you’re committed to doing the hard work of creating healthy relationships with those around you.
Day after day you pour yourself out and on paper all seems well, but you feel it rising under the surface, a question lurking in your mind: what happens when the plates drop?
Can I remind you of what Truth says about you today? The Maker of your heart and Author of your story has this to say:
You are more than your to-do list…
You are more than a report card or the project you just turned in…
You are more than the clothes you wear or the car you drive…
You are more than what you do (or don’t do) on a Friday night…
You are more than how many children or books you’ve birthed…
You are more than what he or she said way back when…
You are more than your Twitter followers, Instagram likes, and blog stats…
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, The Message
Maybe you messed up and made a mistake, but you are not a mistake. Your past does not define you; this is not how the story ends.
Your right-now life might seem like a string of regular days. It might be hard to remember that ordinary is beautiful. I get that… trust me. But I hope you’ll continue to look for Him, to keep your eyes open, because you’ll find Him in the midst of the mundane.
If you’d like to continue reading this post, I’d love to invite you to join me over on the More to Be blog today!
Kaitlyn! Such a great reminder for when we are bogged down or in the “blahs”! Very encouraging words!
Thanks for leaving these encouraging words, Neca. :)
I have to admit, the question “what happens when the plates drop” had been lurking in my mind lately. But then I realized, plates have been dropping. In the past, I would have allowed the little “problems” in my life to make me doubt myself or God’s love for me. However, now, I hadn’t even noticed the plates dropping because God is with me and has been picking them/me up. Such a great thought on not being defined by the World’s standards! God bless!
Thanks for sharing that, Frankie. I’m glad you visited the blog today!
Gosh, isn’t it true that we tend to value ourselves by the tasks we accomplish and devalue ourselves based on where we feel we come up short! How much better believers in Jesus would be if we valued His opinion more than our own!
“You are more than your to-do list.”
Thank you! I needed to hear that today.
~ Your neighbor from Coffee for Your Heart
Thanks for this great reminder that I’m more than I could ever imagine because He is more! I needed this today! Blessings!
So good! When I look to social media or my productivity for my okay-ness, my satisfaction, God is so faithful to patiently wait for me to remember that He is the only well that will never run dry and that every day is just another opportunity to find Him as my faithful portion.
For just over a year, the story of the woman at the well in John 4 has been on my mind. It keeps coming up over and over. I love what you said about drawing from the well here.
Kaitlyn, I love the hope your words offer: a reminder that I am more than my circumstances. More than the here and now. God has a beautiful, bright life for me and He wants me to live it right now, not later when all the pieces fit together.
Thanks for your beautiful words.
Marva | SunSparkleShine recently posted…Why I won’t be Sharing my Word for the Year (at least not yet)
Isn’t that the truth… right now, not pausing until the page turns.
“Your past does not define you!”
Can we just shout this out every day. I need to do that to remind myself of this truth!! Thanks for this wonderful word of encouragement. Blessings!
Yes!
Words we often forget but all need to embrace and live. Thank you, Kaitlyn, for the reminder this morning.
I love that section of II Corinthians and was refreshed by your words of God knowing me and loving me, anyway – but more than anyway, because of Who He is. Be encouraged today, Kaitlyn. (pinned!)
Me too! Such beautiful truths in those verses. (Thank you for pinning one of the images!)