Jayce O'Neal's Blog

(This is an excerpt from a book I wrote for Tyndale House Publishers . It was a devotional for 8-12 year old boys. Find out more here: TYNDALE)

A clown and a cowboy went rock climbing. They climbed a massive mountain in the middle of the wilderness with no one else around. They were both having fun until the cowboy got stuck on one of the cliffs. He called up to the clown for help. The clown, knowing the cowboy needed something to grab on to, tossed down a rope to the cowboy.

Right before the cowboy was about to grab the rope, he noticed it was frayed in the middle. The cowboy yelled, “I can’t grab this rope! It’ll break and I’ll fall!” The clown chuckled. “I know, but I thought it was a funny joke.” The cowboy wasn’t laughing. The clown threw something else down, but the cowboy saw it was a snake and said, “I can’t grab on to this snake—it might bite me!” The clown laughed and then he threw another rope down, but it was covered with thorns. The cowboy was again upset at the clown, but the clown said he was just trying to have some fun.

The clown knew it was time to really help the cowboy, so he threw down a big, strong rope, but the cowboy wouldn’t grab it. The cowboy said, “What’s wrong with this one? I don’t trust you anymore.” The clown tried to convince him that this rope was good and that he was done joking, but the cowboy didn’t believe him. So they stayed there on that cliff and are still there today, all because the cowboy doesn’t trust the clown.

Trust is a hard thing to earn, and it is even harder to get back if you break it. God wants you to trust him, and he wants others to be able to trust you. If you say you’re going to do something, make sure you do it. Keep your promises and help people when they need it. You are a living example of God to other people, so if they can’t trust you, they might find it hard to trust God. Don’t be a clown. Be someone people can trust.

I don’t know about you, but I am not the person I want to be…yet. I have traveled the world and gotten several degrees. I have written books and been on TV. I have planted a church and started a family and yet I am still not perfect. I’m not the person I hope my kids think I am. I have fears and internal contradictions. As a Christian, my model is Jesus and yet I fail everyday to be just like Him. I realize I’m not alone.

I’ve seen studies that show that the average person lies 2-3 times a day. Most of those lies are committed to help us look better than we are. Some studies show that as many as 85% of people struggle with low self esteem. Other studies reveal an unhealthy amount of stress, fear, anger and directionless in America. We aren’t perfect. In fact we have a slogan that says “I’m only Human.” We are not perfect and yet, most of us want to be better than we are…if we’re honest. But where do we look for help? How can we grow?

In the past, my natural tendency is to try and make myself better. Read more books, be smarter, work harder and things will work out in the end. However, in my experience that never works…not fully.

In the past few years I have found that there has only been one real solution to helping me grow myself and that is to stop looking to self. Rather than look to myself, I look to Jesus. I don’t look within myself to love others I look to the love Jesus shows in the Gospels. I don’t look to my circumstances for joy or peace, but the hope I have in Jesus. I don’t have patience for people simply due to willing myself to do it…I see the patience Jesus has had for me and this humbles my pride and this opens the door for the patience of God to enter my life.

If you are like me and you want to grow, than we need to stop looking to self and look to Jesus.

Jesus tells us (John 15:5) that if we are to ever have true love, joy, peace, self control, patience; than we have to abide or remain in Him. And apart from us being in a true honest relationship with Him than we can never do anything of real significance. This means that we can’t grow or improve without a daily, honest relationship with Jesus. Self-help books can’t do it, workout plans, and therapy can’t do it. Trying harder won’t do it. These aren’t bad thing…they simply are unable to solve the issues alone. This is if you trust Jesus.

Perhaps, I will write more about this in the future, but for now, I’d like to share one of the ways I do “abide” or “remain” in Jesus. Nearly every morning, I read the Bible and I pray. I usually start off my prayers with the prayer below. I wrote this prayer in a season when I discovered I needed God far more than I ever realized. When you are “works based” and your identity is on success, it is easy to hide behind degrees, and a list of accomplishments to say, “Hey, look at me, I’m okay.” When in reality, I was far more flawed than I knew.

I am Not perfect yet, but I am a much more loving person than I once was. I haven’t arrived, but I have more patience, more joy, more peace than ever. This isn’t because I did it on my own, but because I have spent far more time with God and His Word. After a while, most people begin to act like those they spend the most time with…and the more time I spend in God’s Word, the more I act like Him.

Before I pray, I nearly always quote John 15:5 as a reminder that I can’t do anything of significance without remaining close to Jesus.

John 15:5 (ESV)

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

HEALTHY PRAYER

Lord, please grow the fruit of your spirit in my life. Give me your love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, and patience. I want to be more like you and I am not there yet.

Today I ask that your Holy Spirit will…

…fill my mind and guide and renew my thoughts

…fill my heart and guide and renew my emotions

…fill my mouth and guide and renew the words I speak

…fill my gut and guide and renew my appetites

…fill my will and guide and renew my behavior

…fill my personality and guide and renew my temperament

…fill my eyes to guide and renew how I see things

…fill my ears to guide and renew how I hear things

Help me to be a loving & faithful husband

Help me to be a loving & wise father

Help me to be an effective leader of integrity

Help me to be A healthy man…

…Healthy physically, emotionally, psychologically, mentally, financially, relationally, and theologically.

God, you are worthy, I am flawed, Thank you for your grace & mercy.  Help me to be more like you and closer to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

(c) 2010 Dr. Jayce O’Neal

Block Head

Once upon a time, there was a boy I knew

His head was the shape of a block

No, really…

….honestly

……………seriously

………………………it’s true

His noggin’ wobbled when joggin’

His head outweighed his bed

His melon was too big for sellin’

His cranium filled a stadium

His nob fell on Bob

His skull scared away bulls

His brain became a pain

His scalp was four by four by two

No, really…

….honestly

…………….seriously

…………………………………it’s true…

Dr. Jayce O’Neal 2000 (c)

NOTE: Artist is Arrolynn Weiderhold Marsh

Frustrations mounting, sweat-dripping, and steam coming out of my ears like a raging bull, I have again found myself at the end of my rope. What has me all bent out of shape, you might ask? Love life gone wrong? Nope. Problems at home? Nuh-uh. Money problems? Not really. Then what?

I have again found myself irritated beyond belief, because of a stupid game called golf. Stupid being the operative word simply because the game is the problem and not my inability to play it, or so I tell myself over and over again. Most everyone knows that sports are often great tools to learn life lessons: being a team player, perseverance in the face of adversity, hard work paying off, etc.

However, this lesson I am currently facing is one I believe to be the toughest for many (including myself) to learn and live out in a practical manner in everyday life. I find that when I play golf, I become keenly aware that patience in my life is in short supply. I have found that when an issue shows up in one part of my life, it can often be found in other places of my life as well. Sports can often act as a catalyst to reveal such things. Is there a fear of failure, an anger problem, or simply a lack of patience?

Patience… the very word can cause me to yawn, roll my eyes, or turn my attention to something else altogether. You see, I am a doer. I see something, I go after it. End of story. Being patient is not my cup of tea.

In fact, the thought of having to be patient seems to even increase my frustration. Yet, in golf I really have no choice, but to be patient. In football, if I get frustrated I just hit someone harder on the next play. In basketball, I can foul someone. In baseball, it’s easier to just hit the ball harder. Then there’s golf.

When you get frustrated in golf and lose patience, you often land the ball in the sand trap, woods, or in my case the window of that expensive house that just happened to get in the way of my innocent ball.

I can often mistaken patience and waiting on passivity, or I can see it as a convenient excuse for the lazy or the fearful. Yet I realize that this is not always the case. I think if I were back in Bible times, I might have made different decisions.

If I were Joshua I think instead of waiting for the seventh day, I might have instead knocked on the front door of Jericho after the first night. Perhaps if I were with Moses with the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptians close behind, I think I might have jumped in the water and attempted to swim across.

This is not how I wish to be. I desire to be a man of faith and a large part of that is to be a patient man. Being a patient man is not being passive or lazy, but rather being bold in confidence that God will do exactly what He promises to do. I want to be like Abraham who waited patiently and was rewarded for it.

Hebews 6: 15 says,

“And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise (NASB).”

When I think about it, it’s nearly impossible to truly and honestly serve God faithfully and obediently without being a patient person who is willing to wait for the right thing at the right time. It is an odd thought really to realize that my frustrations on the golf course can give me a glimpse into my relationship with God.

This being said, I can at least make strides in trusting the Lord and waiting for the right thing at the right time…even if I’m still paying home owners for broken windows, because of my less than par golf game.

AUTHOR NOTE: This is a kids piece I wrote a few years back. I would love to write an entire book series with these types of pieces and artwork.

WHITE LIE

By Dr. Jayce O’Neal

I told a little white Lie

It was tiny you know, real small

I didn’t think that my lie

Would hurt anyone at all

What I did not know

Is that lies often grow

So now, my lie

That once was very small

Is so large, it can reach the sky

NOTE: Artist is Arrolynn Weiderhold Marsh

When I was seven years old I jumped off a high dive. It seemed to shock everyone in the pool that day, especially my mother. I don’t know if you were like me or not, but when I was younger I seemed willing to take more risks. I road my bike off ramps. I didn’t mind talking to new kids. I jumped off high dives. However, it seems the older I get, the more fearful I am of taking risks.

Fear is an active barrier to a Christian who wants to obey God, because at some point God will likely ask you to do something that might just freak you out. If fear is the barrier, then comfort is the placebo we think will keep us safe, but often it simply lulls us into disobedience.

For many it is easy to lose that willingness to step out in faith, to take risks, to let go of our “security”. The question I ask myself is, “Have we gotten too comfortable?” I hear so many Christians complain that America is slipping from its Christian roots, yet those same people seem unwilling to take any risk outside of posting their thoughts on social media. When you look at the Bible, it is easy to see when God moved, it was rarely safe. Moses confronted Pharaoh. David took on a giant. The disciples left their jobs and families to follow Jesus.

Would we be so bold? If God spoke to you in a burning bush, would you obey or would you suspect you were suffering from heat stroke? Would you confront a giant? Would you drop everything to follow Jesus?

Heck, lets even look at small things. What if God asked you to stop drinking coffee, stay off the internet, walk more, and drive less? Have we gotten too comfortable? Are we hearing God or is our caffeine, air conditioning, and favorite TV shows drowning out His voice? The truth is, that MOST of the time MOST of us take the road MOST travelled, the path of least resistance and MOST comfortable.

I wonder what kind of impact Christians would make if we stopped complaining about what is wrong in the world and instead decided to truly obey God in every aspect of OUR lives. But to obey, means letting go of control. This requires faith.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him …” Hebrews 11:6 ESV

If I were to be honest, in my weaker moments I’m not interested in what pleases God. I’d much rather He please me by giving me what I want. I want to be comfortable. I fear, fear. Yet, He calls us to have faith.

What is the barrier to faith for you? Money? People? Regardless of our barriers to obedience, we must remember the words of Jesus:

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 ESV

Ouch.

Is there something you find difficult to renounce? For me, it is control. I want to know what I’m doing and where I’m going; and I know, when God asks you to do something, you don’t always know how it will turn out.

When God moves, it is rarely safe, but it is always right. Moses helped deliver Israel. David became King. The disciples witnessed the life of Jesus. As difficult as it may seem, when we step out in faith to obey God, we can trust His way is better than ours.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 ESV

Let us not be deceived by comfort. Let us be willing to take the dive when God asks. Most likely, the path He is asking you and me to travel is not the road MOST travelled.

Copyright © 2017 Jayce O’Neal.

NOTE: This article was written from a single persons perspective to single people.

I invite ladies to be a fly on the wall and listen to the words of their confusing masculine counterparts.

You are in a sparsely furnished living room with even less décor on the walls; pizza boxes and pop cans are unevenly distributed in various spots in the room. You — an estrogen carrier — are an alien in the world of the testosterone breathers. Shhh. Say nothing…just listen…at first nothing but grunts can be heard, but after a few minutes a word is understood. You are not totally sure, but you think the word was…football. Yes, indeed they did say football. Before you know it you can actually understand a sentence or two. After enduring several comments on sports, cars, and food, you begin to think this is a lost cause. Then something happens…a tremendously long pause. Nothing. Not one word for what seems like an eternity. You think how rude and cold these guys must be to not say anything, but to your surprise, none of the guys seem bothered in the least about the silence. The silence is abruptly interrupted with the subject that you have been waiting for since you became a fly on the wall…girls…dating…and what guys are thinking about the two.

In the volley of verbal discussion you are quite surprised to find out that a lot of thought is put into this subject, considering the fact that it often seems that guys do not talk about relationships, let alone pursue them. This happens to be the topic of the night. Why don’t they (men) pursue women more often? Each male had his particular reason. The following is just a sample of what was unveiled.

As he begins to talk you realize that guys ponder way more than emotions. In fact, if what these guys say is true, emotions are just not enough. A guy may be interested in a girl and still do and say nothing. Why? Because guys believe there are more factors to consider than feelings.

One of these factors is the fear of rejection. One of the guys explains a time when he was bold enough to ask a girl out, but she said no. The no itself was hard for him to take, because he really did care for this girl, but what happened is that this girl went back and told all of her friends and they began to review all of his perceivedstrengths and weaknesses. By the time it was over not only did all of her friends know, but their friends knew and their friends’ brothers knew that he asked, she said no, and that he was not tall enough for the average girl to really honestly consider. His chances with this girl were dead as was any future chances with any of her friends or most girls he knew within the area code. Due to the embarrassment and rejection he would simply rather not go through that again.

Another guy speaks up and points out that his main reason for not being active in the dating scene was that he felt he needed to be financially set before he could seriously commit to a woman. He begins to express how his parents struggled financially and how it put a lot of stress on their marriage. He would simply rather not set himself up to fail. If he could become financially secure, then he would feel much more at ease about being with a woman. In addition to this, he opens up and reveals that he believes most women want this. He expresses his insecurity that even though he has a decent job while still in grad school, that he still feels inept as a man because he could not support a woman even if he wanted to. “To pursue a woman, a guy has to be a man. He has to feel like a man. If not, what does he really have to offer?”

After the money talk subsided a man blurted out, “I don’t date simply because I’m not any good at it!” This guy was very straightforward and honest about the fact that he would rather put time into things he knew he was good at. He laid out a list of reasons why romance was simply not in his blood. His parents and many other relatives got married only to divorce in the end. His own relationships always ended in pain, and he was much better at so many other areas of his life. Why endure the heartache and waste his and some poor girl’s time by starting something that most likely wouldn’t work out anyway? After his initial premise for singlehood ended, he got quiet. Under his breath you barely hear these words, “No one likes to fail…I don’t want to fail.”

“You’re right…no one likes to fail, but no matter what any of us guys do we will all do exactly that.” A guy says from behind his saddened, but stern eyes. He continues to convey how he feels that no matter how hard a guy tries, it won’t be good enough in the end any how. “I blame it on the fairy tales and romantic comedies,” He says. “There’s knights in shining armor, the biggest engagement rings ever, and guys that always know what to say.”

This strikes you a bit oddly. You have put numerous amounts of hours lamenting how media has affected the perception of the ideal beauty and the pressures you have likely felt with all of the super models on TV, yet it never really dawned on you how that same thing might be occurring for guys. What do fairy tales and romantic comedies say about guys? They should always dress nice, have a nice home (a horse and carriage is a nice perk), never be grumpy, be the perfect balance of sensitive and masculine, able to beat up 1 to 40 guys all by himself if need be, and, oh yes, he must always leave the toilet seat down, because he is the most thoughtful and caring man alive.

Mr. I Hate Fairy Tales backs this up with a personal story of how he once bought his ex-girlfriend 12 roses. However, she was hurt, because he did not get her lilies. She felt he should know her better than that, because lilies were her favorite flower…not roses. Many examples followed, but the final conclusion was that he did not feel that getting into a relationship would benefit him. He would always fall short of the ideal, and that just did not sit well with him.

After hearing all of the things that had been uttered you realize there was one guy who had not yet talked. The entire time he just listened to the others. Some of the guys noticed as well and they asked him what his deal was. He said, “Nothing…I would pursue a girl, but I just have not found what I’m looking for.” The guys asked him what that was exactly. He answered, “It’s simple…I’m looking for the same things you’re looking for. I’m looking for… . ” All of a sudden the audio is lost; then the video also fades and you realize that your masculine passport is expiring.

You find yourself back where you started…in estrogenville. Except there’s something a little bit different about how you view the men in your life. The guy you once looked at with a bit of resentment for not calling doesn’t look like as big of a jerk. In fact, for all of the guys you know, you seem to have a bit more compassion for them, because you are more aware of the things they are walking through. They are not all big jerks who care nothing for you or your lady friends. They are guys — flawed humans who just have not figured it out yet.

It was good to be a fly on the wall for just a moment, but you would really like to know what that last guy was going to say…what are guys looking for? Maybe next time. Maybe.

Before I go any further, I need to stress the point that I was a kid. I was a young kid. I was spending time in the mall with my grandma and I asked her one of the big questions kids ask, “Why do people die?” She simply said, “Because people get old.”

I thought about this for a while as we walked to a seating area to rest our feet. We just so happened to be seated around dozens of elderly people. My eyes got big, and I finally understood what my grandma had told me, so I shared it with everyone else. I stood up and pointed my finger at an elderly woman and said, “You’re going to die.” And I kept going as I pointed in a circle: “You’re going to die … and you’re going to die … and you’re going to die.” My grandma nearly died right there of embarrassment. She was not happy with me – not because I was wrong – but because it’s apparently not polite to talk about another’s mortality in public.

This is true still today. We will all die and when we die all of us will face judgment. Each of us will either be ushered into Heaven or spend our afterlife in Hell. It’s not polite to talk about; so many Christians don’t. Others talk about it, but like I did as a child they do it in a way that is more spectacle than redeeming.

In our culture, there is a big push to be polite and ignore reality. But the truth is, many people you and I know will end up in hell. Even Christians don’t like talking about it. Those who object, often argue, “But God is love.” Then they refer to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…”

God is love, but they leave out the rest of the passage:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” John 3:16, 18-19 ESV [Empasis mine]

This verse tells us that God is loving, but those who don’t put their faith in Jesus are already condemned. It also points out that those who reject the light (Jesus), love darkness and their works, their actions, and intentions are evil.

So many like their concept of Jesus as a nice teacher, but He is more than just a teacher. He is the son of God and it is from Him we learn the most about hell. Jesus taught that hell was very real and the only way to be saved was to believe that He came to save their souls. To do that they had to acknowledge they were in need of a savior and repent.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV

God is love, this is why He sent His son to pay the price for our mistakes. If you have not made the decision to accept Jesus as your savior, I’d encourage you to do so now.

God is love; if you are a follower of Jesus, then we should love like Him. This means taking the time to invest in people who don’t know him. Don’t just point fingers at them and chide them for their pending doom. That’s how kids act, instead take the time to get to know them and share the hope, love, and peace you have found in Jesus.

Hello, my name is “Joyous Jayce” and this is “Harmonious Holly.” We would like to welcome you to the Christian walk, where all your dreams come true. You will never get sick, people will always like you, and money will grow on trees, so you can live a safe and perfectly, peaceful life.

You see Christianity is like a social club, but better because there are no popularity contests and everyone is completely honest. Yup, you have made the right decision, so once you pay your initiation fee you can be well on your way to the life you have always dreamed of …

Is this the Christian walk you thought you were signing up for? Or better yet, is this the story you have tried to sell to others? When I look around at the landscape of modern Christianity, I see a lot of teachings that seem to directly contradict the message of the Bible. I hear messages on prosperity and healing that seem to say if a person is not financially well off or is physically sick, then there is something wrong in their walk with the Lord.

What got me thinking about this is a friend of mine, who reminded me the other day that our testimonies are our best opportunities to minister to people. However, if we try to live in “La La Land” then how can we begin to relate to those who have not seen the amazing grace of God?

What I mean to say is that if we pretend or even believe that our lives are to be safe and perfect, then how in the world can we hope to connect with those who have no idea what we are talking about? If I were to be honest, sometimes I hear Christians talk in such a weird Christianese way, that I do not even have a clue what they are talking about.

The Christian walk was never meant to be the path of least resistance that we often portray it to be. The bad things we have gone through, and the hurts we have endured are not anomalies, but the very things God uses to help us in this world to relate to people.

Our wounds are not our own. Take Jesus for example. He could have been born on the earth and died, and rose again. It could have been as simple as that. He did not have to teach, nor did he have to die in such a painful way, but He did. He chose to do that.

Why? I used to ask myself that question, and one of the reasons I think He did this is because He knew the power of being able to identify. God (AKA Jesus) became man and chose to identify with us by experiencing the pain and anguish that each of us has to experience.

He is not a distant God who tells us the do’s and don’ts, but rather a very personal God who says, “I will go through the hells of this world in order to show you my undying, everlasting love.”

You see, He was betrayed, so when your friends gossip about you, He understands. His dearest friends walked away from Him in His greatest time of need. So when your spouse cheats on you, He understands. He hung on a cross naked and exposed for all to see, so when you were abused and exposed in ways no one should have to experience, He understands.

When Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus put Thomas’ fingers through His wrists where the spikes pierced Him and then Thomas believed. You see, sometimes people will only come to believe the truth after they have seen your wounds.

I do not know why bad things happen, but I do believe that one of the reasons is because if none of us Christians had ever gone through anything difficult, then we would never be able to relate to the broken and wounded in the world.

So when we try to make the Christian walk sound like a Sunday stroll, I think we hurt the cause of Christ. People cannot relate to that because it simply is not true. The world is seeking truth, and they can smell sensationalism and fraud from a mile away because nothing this side of heaven is perfect and pain-free.

However, when we show them the nails in our hands, the paths we have walked, and how God has touched our lives, then many of the doubting Thomas’ will listen. The power of identifying is your greatest tool, not walking through trials by denial.

Revelation 12:11 says:

“And they overcame Him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

By Dr. Jayce O’Neal

As we look at the world around us and the people in it, it is often difficult not to compare ourselves to others.

She is a great singer. I could never do that.

He is so much better than me at this and that.

These are the internal monologues we tell ourselves and save on the hard drives of our hearts – immobilizing our souls to truly and honestly be who we were created to be.

So much time is spent on what we do not have and what others do possess that we fulfill a self-prophecy that sends us into the cellar of impotency. We become timid, insecure, and complacent.

We become safe. What if I fail? What if I give my best, and it’s still not good enough?

When David met Goliath, he was not worried that Goliath had a sword and he had only a sling. He knew who he was and what he could do, and he met this situation with what he did have. Whether David lived or died was inconsequential to him. He met his challenge head-on.

Most of us these days would instead whimper in the corner, sucking our thumbs and crying, because our sling isn’t a sword. It’s not even a spear!

Honestly, does the Mona Lisa sit around saying, “If only I were a sculpture like Michelangelo’s David!” Seriously, does an orange complain that it is not an apple? Does the sky resent the earth? Do the stars envy the moon?

In 1 Corinthians 12:14-31 Paul talks about the very same thing.

“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body” (I Corinthians 12:14-15, NIV).

We are all different. If the feet feel less than the hands, and the eyes are jealous of the ears, then we find ourselves impaired. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.

We have not learned to lose gracefully. We may think that losing is a bit of a stretch.

It’s as though we have a score card and we list who is better and worse than us. “She gets guys’ attention more than I do. Score one for her. Minus one for me.” Or, “He is stronger than me. Score one for him. Minus one for me.”

It is as though we say to ourselves, We must be the best! We can never fail because if we do, what might that say about us? We foolishly compare and compete, but in the end we all face the same fate.

Age is the great equalizer. Feeble bones and tattered memories sneak up on the young as they age, with or without their knowledge. In the end, the talented and gifted are no better off than the most average of us.

Why do we have to be the best? Why can’t we just be ourselves? It’s a freeing thought to finally realize we don’t have to be the best. We only have to be our best.

We may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but a hammer doesn’t need to be sharp. Can a hammer saw? Can a saw hammer? Can either do their job if they’re jealous of each other’s giftings and purpose?

This is a deep thought for a simple principle. Be free to be your best and free to do your job, not someone else’s. God has made us as different parts with different strengths. Freedom comes in relishing in what He’s made us to do, while admiring what He has made others to be as well.