A Drop in the Bucket

If you're anything like me, you can often struggle with having lofty dreams of making a significant impact in the world, yet feel as though you are only one small, insignificant drop in the bucket.

It can go something like this.  That highly anticipated hour of precious free time has arrived...(aka: nap time or bed time) and instead of actually doing something of value, I find myself whittling away the time on social media.  Usually it begins with a catch up of my Instagram feed, then a check in with the world of Facebook, read up on a few blogs, and well, once I hit up Pinterest there's really no going back from there...just raise the white flag and call me Gilligan because I'm now a lost cause.

I find that after all of this intake of social media I can be left feeling a little "less than" about myself and a whole lot deflated in my lofty dreams that moments ago were floating around in my mind like unleashed helium balloons on a sunny day.  Now instead of being outwardly focused, I find I'm left in a state of miserable comparison, not measuring up to the countless feed of Selfies, Bloggers, Moms, or Artists out there.  All I can think about is how much better they are at this or that, and then I think...why bother...there are enough people out there doing what I can do better, so why even bother?  What difference do I think I could possibly make?  (Side note: is this why people "rate" each other on Facebook? A desperate attempt to reach out for power, or approval and acceptance from wherever they can get it?)

It doesn't always happen right away, but usually shortly thereafter a thought occurs to me...."your focus has shifted from an outward gaze to an inward one".  It's changed from 'others' to 'me'.  About that time I recoil with disappointment at my selfishness and utter a prayer of forgiveness for my wayward heart that has turned to things and comparisons for self-worth rather than to my loving Creator for an acceptance that I already possess.

Being outwardly focused is a continual process, and often we can make it so much bigger and intimidating than what it really is.  To put it very basic, outward focus is loving God and loving the person in front of us and when we begin to realize the value in that person in front of us we begin to see that we are making a significant impact in the world around us.  I believe this then shifts us into an ability to live out love in such a way that fear has no ability to prevent us from taking on any dream, challenge, or obstacle that would come our way.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..." ~ 1 John 4:18

 So with that being said, I'd like to challenge myself and you to take one step closer to the love of God that enables you and I to love the next person we meet, and one step further away from the selfishness that causes us to fear inadequacy and rejection.  Practically speaking for now, that means less time engulfed in the voices of social media (which perpetuate selfishness), and more time immersed in the whispers from my heavenly Father.  Can you just imagine what would happen if all of us "drops" began to live like this?!  If you're in, here's my prayer for us as we take on this challenge:

"GRACE (that is...God's enabling power) be multiplied to all of us!!!" ;)

~ Crystal

PS: I want to hear your "love stories"! (and I don't mean the Romeo and Juliet kind) ;)

Kitchen Confessions

I have a little confession to make.  This may, or may not come as news to you, but here it is: I can't cook.  It's not that I don't have a desire to, or that I'm just being modest.  When I say that I can't cook, it is because I genuinely have no idea what I'm doing in the kitchen..I'm completely dazed and confused in the culinary art.  If you need some tasty baking done - I'm your girl, but ask me to create a simple meal for dinner and I'm lost if it doesn't involve a box of K.D, a sandwich, or anything deemed a "breakfast food".  Take today for example, I spent nearly my entire morning brainstorming what we could eat for lunch, only to be met with the challenge of doing the same thing for dinner. 

By now you're probably wondering how the heck our family has survived this long if I can't cook.  Answer: I am very very blessed to be married to a man who not only can cook, but who loves to cook (we make a good pair really because I love to eat). 

There he is, the in-house chef.
What a stud-muffin.

Normally, my husband Adam does all of the cooking and yes, grocery shopping for our meals, but tonight he was busy and I was in charge.  Now before you start hurling tomatoes at me I'd like to point out that my job is normally the set up/clean up.  Cooking has always been a point of contention for me, and (another confession here), has caused me on more than one occasion to feel like I'm a big flop when it comes to being a stay-at-home mom.  However, I'm trying to keep those thoughts at bay as they do nothing to build me up.

We all have our weak areas and it's important to acknowledge them, but in doing so, not allow them to diminish us.  This is where I constantly have to remind myself that my identity is not based on my strengths, weaknesses, abilities, possessions, or status.  When we look at those things we usually will either have an inflated or deflated view of ourselves, but when we realize that our worth and value have nothing to do with us and everything to do with God and His Nature inside of us everything comes into the correct perspective, and here's the best part...God is then able to turn those weaknesses into strengths because it's no longer our ability working, but His ability working through us.  Isn't that great?!

So, I may not be a master chef yet, and with this new challenge of healthy-eating before me I'm definitely swimming in uncharted territory, but I'm encouraged to know that I don't have to let my weakness diminish me and, who knows, perhaps with God's help, I could turn out to be the next Julia Child, or...I'd even settle for being able to make a meal or two without panicking. ;) 

Oh, and by the way...after all of my pacing back and forth between the cupboard and refrigerator, when I finally stopped to ask God what I should make for dinner...His reply was... "Chicken and rice with some salsa".  Guess I did learn a thing or two from my missions trip this summer (we ate that meal so often a song was created about it.  Still not eating pb&j though). ;)

Chicken & Rice with some salsa

They loved it!

Take care friends!  Until next time...

Crystal