OVER ACHIEVERS

 I love my neighbors and the Hood.  I lived in Fort Worth for four years and only managed to get to know a handful of neighbors.  The beauty of a small town and living in a small neighborhood is building community and relationships with those you call neighbor.  We often meet in the street as I walk the wonder dog, or they stop as they pass me in their cars to ask who is walking who (Hero often stops and refuses to budge and I have to carry him-that's another post).  We live close together, so perhaps we might be guilty of watching our neighbors by peering out the window to see what is happening.  Trust me--it's harmless curiosity.  This is a great neighborhood filled with wonderful people.  I am thankful my neighbors keep an eye on what is going on over here.

I have a few neighbors--one right next door---who are classic over achievers. (It doesn't take much to outdo me.)  EVERY time I go by their yard, I have an inferiority complex.  They are gardeners extraordinaire and I am a gardening wannabe. I see what they have done and guilt takes up home in my cranium until I do whatever needs doing.  There is always something and weeds seem to be my best crop.

                              This nutsedge is particularly annoying!

We all know over achievers in some field or another.  They read the most books, cook the best meals, paint the most beautiful pictures, run the most miles, take the most trips----on and on.  The source of the problem is NOT what they are doing or not doing.  The source of the problem is me.  To begin with why would I compare myself to anyone else?  OH--that is a quagmire if there ever was one.  There is ALWAYS someone out there who can out do us.  When we begin the slide down the comparison slope, we are in for a bumpy-miserable ride.  

Why can't I just look at my neighbor's yards and be happy for the beauty they are sharing with us all?   Instead of comparing-why can't I remember to be happy for how blessed I am?  What is it that causes us to even begin to compare?  It is like comparing apples and oranges, roses and daisies, fudge and peanut brittle, and on and on.  We are all uniquely and beautifully made.  We all have different talents, traits, and personalities.  We are selling ourselves short when we start comparing ourselves.  There is no joy and certainly no peace in comparison.  Living the abundant life requires for us to be satisfied and content with whom we are---created in the very image of God.

SO---I am happy for you over achievers out there.  GO GET IT!  As for me, I may pull a weed or two, but I also am going to take the time to smell the roses, read a good book, and have a good conversation with those God has placed in my path.  Hopefully the only thing I will be comparing myself to is me-in hope of being a better version of who I was yesterday and the day before and the day before ...

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?

Or am I trying to please man?

If I were still trying to please man,

I would not be a servant of Christ."

Galatians 1:10