What Matters To God

“We could easily measure our success or failure by our education or lack thereof, bank account, job title, relationship status, or social media followers, but God isn’t measuring your life by any of those standards. He’s measuring your life by seeing what you can be trusted with.  Accepting this truth frees you from being offended by people who don’t think you’re being or doing enough. Don’t believe the lie that you will be good enough if and when you have a higher degree, six figures in the bank, CEO on the business card, happily married, or averaging 100 likes per post. Strangers on the Internet don’t get to decide if you are a success or a failure. God does. “ -“Unoffendable” by Ryan Leak

Omg! Praise God!!!! That quote is from a 10-day devotion named “Unoffendable” by Ryan Leak. I highly suggest you guys you read it. Obviously, his devotion related to my one of my previous posts,  “Offended, Who Me?!”. But this part in the devotion gave me a great revelation of what really matters to God. I can’t tell you how many times I compare myself to others. I’ve seen my brothers and sisters in Christ going up and yonder, accomplishing their dreams, their goals, living in their passion and making it work for them, and more! And I’m sitting here like:

​I’m still trying to figure out what to do with life and I’m close to being 30 years old. Lol  Furthermore, the people make it worst by asking “Keisha, what are you doing with your life?”. Lol I know they don’t mean any harm by asking that question, but I would get frustrated not because of them, but I didn’t know if what I was doing was enough or seemingly. I was comparing my stuff specifically my status, with other people’s stuff or their standards instead of embracing or being content my identity in Christ. 

Here are a couple of reminders that I had to remind myself whenever I feel like I’m NOT doing enough or If I’m not enough. Hopefully, these will encourage you as well:

1. Do NOT doubt the season you are in.     

Imagine you’re running a race with 2 competitors. One on the first lane, you are on the second lane, and the other is on the third lane. Each of you trained vigorously for x amount of months or years for this moment. You shift your focus and breath in and out deeply to control the nerves running throughout your body. Then you hear the shots fire and each one of you started running. Everybody is running...everybody is in their own season...in their OWN LANE that God has placed each person in. The person on your left is jogging, the person on your right is walking, and you’re running at a certain pace at your own best ability. What I’m trying to say is that God has placed each of us in our own season that comes with a certain pace. Many of us Christians (including myself) watch other people’s seasons and start doubting their own season by thinking they could be stagnant, not putting themselves out more. You may be in the season of waiting that involves patience, perseverance, faith, and endurance. Or a season where God wants to heal you and mature you, a season of transition, a season of God stretching you or advancement...Or you could be in the season of harvest time, which you finally receive the manifestation that God has for you such as your breakthrough, your healing, your time, your peace, new relationships, and may be material things. Ask God, what season are you currently in and what should you be doing while you’re in that season? There are times that I doubted my season that I was in because I was impatient and eventually become frustrated. I thought I was moving too slow or God was moving too slow. Lol Until I had to sit down and ask Him, “Lord, what season am I in?... What do you want me to learn from it?... What I should be doing during this season?” And in due time He answers me. Ask Him what season you’re in and He will definitely answer you. He tends to give me this scripture that ALWAYS calms me: “Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalms 46:10. God is ALWAYS in control and He absolutely knows what He is doing. He knows what happens in your future (Jeremiah 29:11), He created you to be successful whether it looks like it or not, and He is faithful. Has He ever failed you? The key thing is to have TRUST and FAITH in Him no matter what season you are in.

2. Stop comparing yourself to others!      I think the title explains itself enough and it sums it all up for this point. Lol Comparing yourself to others is basically telling God “you didn’t do a good job on me”... “Why you made my thighs so big?”... Why I can’t have a functional normal family with both parents in my life?”...I wish my husband would treat me much like that man did to his wife”...”Maybe if I change my hair like hers, then I will look more approachable”...”I wish I can sing like her”.  It’s to the point that you will eventually envy and get jealous of others. You can’t even look at yourself in the mirror because of the shame, guilt, disappointment within you. You’re silently unsatisfied with yourself and with your life because of your life doesn’t look as abundantly glamorous as someone else’s life. You may not say that you are, but your actions will definitely speak louder than ever. It’s like the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”. But do you what it took for that grass to get green, crisp, pretty, shine, and healthy? You will never be content or happy and at peace, if you continue to compare yourself to others. God said you ARE ENOUGH. From the way you are shaped, to your unique personality, God has never made a mistake on you! Allow God to help you invest in yourself and to cultivate yourself. I believe once you truly start focusing on yourself and staying in YOUR lane, you won’t have time to look at everybody else’s lane or simply stop minding everybody else’s business. Because looking at others or comparing yourself to others, can be a distraction.

3. Don’t get caught up in the titles. I’m currently the president of a Singles Ministry, one of the praise & worship leaders, BGV, a part of an intercessory prayer team, and an Emergency Department Medical Scribe. Those may seem like good titles, but God seriously doesn’t look at the titles. Just imagine, you have 3.4 M followers on Youtube, high ratings on social media and you’re doing it all “in the Name of Lord” but God is looking at you like…” umm, I didn’t tell you to do all of that”. He looks at your heart or your real intention behind those positions that you are currently in or you are yearning for. Here is a scripture emphasizes that: 

“21 “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. 22 When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ 23 Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’ Matthew 7:21-23 (GNT)

Now, I ’m not trying to degrade your achievement or position that you worked vigorously for. But make sure that God co-signed it and you are surely doing it for His affairs. Everything you do, you work for, you strive is unto to the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24).

4. YOU ARE ENOUGH!!! God said you are enough! God said you are enough! God said you are enough! GOD said you ARE ENOUGH! The enemy will do his very best to make you think otherwise by using people, your loved ones, traumatic life experience, social media, and yourself to give you amnesia and make you completely forget about your worth and identity in God. You are capable to do anything in God. He has a plan for you. Not your family, friends, or bae, but for you. God has place skills, gifts, and talents on the inside of you to use for His glory on this earth! But you won’t be able to know all of that if you continue to look at others, doubting yourself, and indulging on the things this world. We may be covered with scars, weakness, filth, and flaws, but God STILL loves you like CRAZY and STILL believes in you, He STILL wants you. He STILL pursues you. He STILL invests in you. He wants ALL of you including your time, attention, and dedication. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT

I pray these points truly remind your worth and identity in Christ. I pray that it reminds that you are God’s impeccable masterpiece and He looks at your heart and how you live for Him. Not how many digits in the bank, not your fame and glory in this world. Don’t get lost in that. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26 AMP

Love you guys! <3