Play the Cards in Your Hand

Have you ever noticed that you don’t hear shoulda, coulda, wouldas from successful people? It’s because they’ve learned that instead of putting their time and energy into what might have been, they are better served putting it into what they choose to be.

For a lot of my life I focused on the wrong things...obsessing about how much better it could be if certain things were different. Like everything would be magically different if my family had more money, or I had gone to college, or I was prettier, or in a relationship, or just a little bit more charismatic and engaging. Of course if any of those things happened my life would be perfect and I wouldn’t have any problems. I would look at other people’s lives and successes and think that if I had their background, talents, or support from other people, then of course I would be able to achieve what they have. I think we’re all tempted to question and compare while forgetting that no one has a perfect life.

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:7‬

“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:6-8‬

But you know what? My life isn’t different than it is and I’m not different than I am. I don’t have the gifts, things, or circumstances that other people do. And they don’t have mine. Things are the way they are, and I’ve been given exactly what I need to fulfill the call on my life. Some things I can change, and some things I just can’t. Even if I could, maybe I shouldn’t. We each have our own hand of cards to deal with. We each have our struggles and strengths, our obstacles and our joys. It’s up to us how we play them.

#thesassysaint