Philippians 4:12-13; Esther 4 - "perfection"

I woke up this morning with a song Switch sings called "perfection" going through my mind. I can be my hardest critic but am thankful I do better with this than I used to do. My heart breaks when I see young girls comparing themselves to others who have a more 'perfect' body, parents, home life, etc. It breaks to see grown woman who allow their 'imperfections' make them put others down verbally. Comparing yourself to another is very easy to do but we must remember God made each one of us unique. We also must remember He sees us as a loving Father who desires to help us to realize our worth to Him. The song has a part that goes...

But when all I see are the flaws, You see perfection, perfection
Looking through this mess of a heart, You see perfection, perfection
Show me what's behind Your eyes
Don't think I can trust in mine

When all I see are the flaws, You see perfection, perfection 

I am so thankful for the relationship I had with my earthly Daddy. He encouraged me as he loved on me. He taught me so much but the best thing he taught me was God loves me. When I would come home in tears from kids teasing me about being fat, he was there to love on me. When I would complained about not having what other kids had, he would encourage me to pray for God to give me the right attitude. Paul's writings do much of the same thing. He encourages me to live as God desires. When I think of all he went through in life, I am amazed yet I know he depended upon the Lord through each and every circumstance. Paul had mountains and valleys in life yet he did not give up. I am sure he had times where he wondered if he were 'good enough' for God. As a pastor, the thought of being 'good enough' creeps in often. It is easy to compare yourself to other pastors. Ones that have a larger congregation, have been in ministry longer, etc. The thing God keeps reminding me is He created me unique and for the place and time I am in right now. Mordecai speaks about such a time as this in Esther 4. As I keep my focus on Him I will realize more of what He has in store for me. I need to not be focused on the negatives of life or the things I missed/did wrong. Instead I need to stay focused on Him so I can be the godly woman He has called me to be. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings of yesterday with what I accomplished in the yard and in the house! Thank You for the opportunities You gave me to be a loving pastor! Thank You for going before me today and keeping my focus on You so I do not miss anything You have for me! Father, my heart breaks for Flo's family with her passing. I praise You for her faith in You and the privilege You gave me to be a part of her spiritual journey. May her family feel Your love in abundance. I pray for others who are hurting with physical, mental, emotional, financial and most of all spiritual pains to feel Your presence. My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Beth; Nancy; Betty; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; Marion; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Rhonda; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; families in turmoil; Cyndi; Doug and Gay; Tammie; Serenna and her husband; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Sharon's daughter Ashley; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; my friend with mesothelioma; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Alex's niece; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; and a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. I pray for: the Long Family, Justin Hillman, Vickie's son Jim, Pastor Ted, Melinda and her family, Clay's cousin who was in the motorcycle accident, and Russ. Thank You for continued strength for Baby Henry! I pray healing for Kim and Rick as they recuperate. Thank You for being My Perfector! Amen.