By Can I just acknowledge the elephant in the room in this blog? I’m just going to get straight to the point. Life is hard, y’all.
Lately, I’ve been watching my children as they mature and see so many opportunities opening up for them. It’s like the world is at their fingertips. It makes me so excited for them and I can only imagine what awaits them in this journey called life.
However, I’m not naive enough to think that they will escape this life without their share of heartache. I pray that they always love Jesus and put him first and God’s Word has promised that if they trust in him and follow him, he will direct their paths.
But, we live in a fallen world. I was just telling someone this evening about my son’s first experience with betrayal when he was at a birthday party in first grade and his friend was encouraging which way to place the tail on the donkey. He thought for sure he had done a great job but when he removed the blindfold, he realized that his friend had led him astray.
The look on his face broke my mama heart as I realized that this would be the first of many disappointments to come in his life.
I pray regularly that my kids will find favor with God and man. But sadly, I have watched them interact with people who don’t seem to understand their worth. I know this because as much as I try to treat people with kindness and respect, I have also dealt with people who seem to find pleasure in pointing out my flaws.
Unfortunately, I seem to fall short of people’s expectations of what I should be, often. I will never be what everyone thinks I should. There used to be a time when knowing that would crush me and I tried to stretch myself to do things that just weren’t possible for me. It left me frustrated and exhausted.
I still hear the complaints and comparisons, but they don’t affect me like they used to. Mainly because I realized that man’s opinion of me doesn’t define me. I will never be exactly what people want me to be, and I’m okay with that now.
I’m okay with not being everything that everyone wants me to be. Because, I’m who God wants me to be and he says that I’m enough. He says that even when I’ve fallen short of man’s expectations and desires for me, I’m still loved by him!
I’m still a work in progress and even though I know that perfection is not possible, excellence is, so that’s what I’m striving for.
So when I hear those voices yelling in my ear that I’m not good enough, not organized enough, not outgoing enough, just not enough, I tell them that they are a liar and I know that I am seen and known by the creator of the universe and even though his voice seems to be harder to hear sometimes, it holds more truth and authority than any of these lies that are so easily heard.
Do you know what his voice says? It says that no matter what I’ve done, no matter how much I’ve failed, no matter how I feel, that I AM, in fact, loved! I pray that my kids are surrounded by people who know their worth and love them for who they are. Faults and all. I also pray that it doesn’t take them nearly as long to learn this as it did me.
I pray the same for you as well! I just released a song last month that I wrote from this experience of God revealing his love for me at a time that I didn’t feel worthy of receiving it. He is just good like that. I pray that you will be reminded of his unfailing love for you as you listen. Be encouraged, friend! You ARE loved!
Telina Frye is the author of Dare to Dream, as well as a pastor’s wife and mother to her 13 year old son and 10 year old daughter.
She is a singer/songwriter and a natural born dreamer. Telina is also credentialed in the Church of God as an Exhorter and holds a Minister of Music License. She serves as the worship leader at the church where her husband serves as lead pastor.
Telina loves having deep, meaningful conversations about what is and what could be. She hopes this blog will inspire readers to dare to look past what is, see what can be, and reach for the impossible.
by leaps and bounds 