The Abundant Life: Riches money can’t buy…
Those living abundant life don’t waste time wishing they were someone else.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself! Everyone else is taken.” All in all, that’s pretty good advice.
If we are totally honest, most of us would probably prefer to be someone else or at least like someone else. We want to be taller, shorter, thinner, quieter, more outgoing, younger, older, wittier, smarter, more organized, athletic, and so on. However, God created us all to be ourselves! There are over seven billion people in the world and no two have the same finger print, voice vibration, or DNA. It’s really quite phenomenal when you think about it. So we are all different whether we want to be or not.
There will always be someone better looking, more popular, and thinner than us. Guess what? That’s okay. From a spiritual perspective there will always be someone who appears to be praying, studying, and serving more. That’s okay, too. Appearances don’t tell the whole story. The Pharisees outwardly looked righteous but their hearts were far from God. God knows the intent of our hearts.
Perhaps that’s why the Bible continually tells us not to compare ourselves with others. (Galatians 6:4) Each of us has a unique personality. Each of us has different talents or abilities to be used for God’s glory and purpose. (1 Corinthians 12:4) Maybe we need to stop wishing to be someone else and want to be who God created us to be.
People wanting to make changes should do it for the right reason—to be a better person. Focusing on our assets and embracing certain limitations can be helpful. We are not all meant to do or accomplish the same things. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. (1 Corinthians 12:5-31) If we could all do the same things we would not need to work together.
Many think they have nothing to offer others. Most of us think if we aren’t pretending to be something we’re not then no one will like us. Well God likes us. God even loves us. When Jesus told His followers they were the salt of the earth and a light of the world He was talking to everyday people—mostly the poor, uneducated, lower echelon of society at that time. These were not the religious leaders. Yet Jesus was giving them a sense of self-worth and letting them know their lives mattered. They all had something to offer. (Matthew 5) And so do we, especially since we have Jesus Christ living in us!
Those living the abundant life don’t waste time trying to be who they aren’t. They choose to be the best version of themselves. After all, finger prints and DNA show us that everyone else is literally taken!
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“…I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.” ~John 10:10 (KJV)
