I have been known to be a competitive person. The only friend I have that I know is way more competitive than me is Emily. We grew up together, and we were doubles partners in tennis. As adults we are both soccer fans and more so, big Jesus fans. You definitely get a close up look at how competitive someone is when they compete in a non-contact sport. This is not an expose’ on Emily. This is a quick note for you about the things that we tend to compete with each other on. The non-contact stuff.

Social media is not what makes us competitive. I have heard many people talk about how if it weren’t for social media and reality shows, we wouldn’t have people competing over looks, wealth, and status. This is a huge lie that we have been led to believe. If you look at the book of Galatians, you can see how it is not the outright lies that led us astray… it is the slight lies.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. Not that there is another one but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the Gospel.      Galatians 1:6-7

We have to look at the world and understand that the devil works in very cunning ways. He does not put something out there that is always a blatant lie. He puts half truths out there. It is harder to argue a half truths. When we look at social media; we can look at the side that causes division in marriages and jealousy between women or we can look at the side that shares the Gospel with someone who may not see it anywhere else for the rest of the day. I do want to add that, if social media is a lord in your life, by all means ditch it! We need to understand that it is not the “looks” and the “likes” that people are competing for on social media. Those are just things that are surface level. What is really being competed for is the gratification and worthiness that comes from the looks and the likes. We all have this desire to be wanted and to be found worthy. The desire to get likes and complements from everyone on social media is not a new feeling or desire. If we look all the way back to Cain, we find this emptiness. If we look at the brothers that threw Joseph in a well, we see this emptiness. If we look at Martha, we can see this emptiness. I use the word emptiness on purpose. All of these things can be seen as jealousy, or anger, or feelings of worthlessness, or a need for recognition.

            Every time that we see broken people in the Word or in the World, we are seeing people that are just a little too far from God. People who have momentarily forgotten the truth. I don’t say this as if I am not one of these people every now and then. I am 100% someone that faces adversity that can steer me away from the Lord and his truths. I am one who often looks in the mirror and doubts the Lord’s decisions in my creation. I am someone who tried to fix the Lord’s creation with plastic surgery. Me trying to fix the Lord’s work was slowly killing me. I will save that story for another day. I say this so that you may be remembered when the time comes that you feel any bit of emptiness; that comes from the world. I want to encourage you to remember that the Lord says that you are…

I want to encourage you and myself, to stop and recognize the things that we are competing for are unnecessary and just cause us conflict. We don’t need to compete with other women, other moms, other singers, other musicians, other ministers, other disciple makers, other entrepreneurs, or other believers. We have all been given our path and our own portion.

            I saw a picture on social media that said, “Sit with women who sit at the feet of Jesus. The conversations are different. You walk away feeling inspired, not inferior because those are the women who know this Christian walk is a race but not a competition.” Do not be so quick to desert him who called you in the grace of Christ

Are you sitting with women who sit at the feet of Jesus? (And I don’t mean just on Sunday morning.)

Are you having conversations that are kingdom focused and not world focused?

Are you inspired or do you feel inferior?

Are you in a competition that the Lord never signed you up for?

Take time to build other women up. If anyone tears you down… dust your feet off and walk away.

Grace & Peace

-Chorley

ALSO… Starting next week I will be posting interviews with Disciple making women. They will be sharing the good, the bad and the ugly. They will give us an inside look to the pillars of faith Disciple making has built for them, as well as some of the struggles that they have faced. If you have any questions that you want me to ask them, send them to me from the contact page.