Fact is life changes for most of us in a year. Except mine. Or so it can seem. My life can seem very similiar to the last year and the last that all the sudden I'm in the next decade wondering what happened in those 10 previous years!!! Didn't I accomplish anything besides not much in that time frame? I have talked to some amazing people, my age and even younger than me, who have really done amazing stuff with their lives and while I'm excited to hear about what God allows/does in their lives, I wonder to myself, why isn't this kind of stuff happening in my life?
I'm reminded of the line in the Christmas movie Elf (pardon this analogy) where Buddy the Elf is wondering what his special talents are and why he seems so different from everyone else because everyone else seems to have similar talents except him. The elves try to console him in saying that he does have special talents like changing the smoke detector or something like that. Doesn't seem like much talent when compared to the others of making toys, cookies, shoes, etc. However Buddy realizes that he does have a talent for spreading Christmas cheer so focuses on that with the help of Santa to remind him of who he is.
We live in an unfair society in which talents include and looked up to are wealth, position, number of friends and who your friends are, expensive new things, how big or neat your house is, how smart you are, etc. And if you don't have these you are a no good for nothing and you need to acquire these as fast as you can to be successful and talented and become a somebody.
When I compare myself to this, I really am a no good for nothing nobody. God has to remind me that it's not for land, wealth, position, or sheer talent or success that I'm here, but to spread His love to others. Am I succeeding in that? Or am I searching for something else to succeed in that society will accept?
Sure I'm quite bothered at the lack of my "society successfulness" but God gently reminds me that I don't have to succeed in that. Like Buddy the Elf, I'm not just any human, I'm one of God's children and my job is to spread God's love.
So, I'm asking myself....How are you doing with spreading Jesus cheer?