We've all been affected, in one way or another, by the extreme amount of media being thrown at us. Whether it be advertisements, favorite TV shows making a political statement, reality TV with its opinion of what 'reality' is, magazine covers, books from the best seller's list, news casters and political web spinners who give their biased views etc., "measuring sticks" are available and in abundance. Even in our own personal circle of friends and aquaintances, we compare ourselves to determine if we "measure up".....to what?....each other?
Not long ago, I was in a focused mode of keeping track of my time when I went out for a run or power walk. On my way out the door this particular day, I quickly made a mental note of the time on the clock that sits on top of my fridge. When I returned to the house, the first clock I saw was the the digital clock on my oven. After doing some quick math, I was very excited about what I had accomplished! It seemed to me, I had shaved almost 2 minutes off the time from the day before. WOW! I could hardly believe it!
Two minutes in the scheme of driving from IN to FL is nothing that would be noticed. Two minutes when calculating the overall time you spent having lunch with a best friend is not worth mentioning; however, 2 minutes shaved off a run or power walk is significant. I was ecstatic! But, as my heartbeat and breathing began to return to normal and my brain received some hydration, I realized the huge mistake I had made. The oven clock and the clock above my fridge weren't in sync.
My "measuring sticks" or clocks had been different. They didn't agree. Both kept time. Both are very valuable. Both serve a very specific purpose but they are not identical. They don't keep time the same. One or the other needs to be tweeked periodically to match the other if they are to be identical and even then, two time pieces that work so differently, may never be exactly the same.
Yes, I felt like a complete idiot for not realizing this up front but living through that mental mistake showed me something that I needed to be reminded of. There's only one "measuring stick" that I need to be concerned with in my life, and that is my Lord and Savior. I cannot afford to take my eyes off of Him and compare myself to others. I fall short often but my heart is set on Him and His Grace fills in the gaps and by the power of His Spirit, I'm measuring just right in His eyes!
