Our cookie exchange fell flat. Usually boasting attendance of a baker’s dozen, one-by-one individuals backed out. Busy schedules, lack of Christmas spirit, and exhaustion from a hectic season all topped the list of reasons people didn’t come. But most interesting was the pronouncement of baking failures. Mine were included in that category—I tried a new recipe and was less than satisfied with the results.
“I’m not going,” I declared. “The caramel topping tastes burnt.”
“It’ll be good for you to go,” Hubby said, always my encourager.
At the last minute, I relented and grabbed packages of hot cocoa and candy canes to share.
Being with the other gals was just what I needed—we visited, munched on cookies, and worked a jigsaw puzzle together. It was a good reprieve and morale booster.
What if I had missed out by saying my contribution was not good enough?
Exercise:
What have you been labeling “not good enough?”
- Could you tweak that WIP from a different angle?
- Could you rearrange sentences or paragraphs to flow better?
- What could you eliminate to make it more concise?
How do you demean your art when you place it in the “not good enough” category?
- What is the difference between excellence and perfectionism?
- Is “not good enough” an attack on your personhood?
- How can you separate your disappointment in your words from disappointment in your worth?
Will you choose to look at who you are through God’s eyes?
- Blessed. Psalm 139:5-6, You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. (NIV)
- Secure. Psalm 139:9-10, If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (NIV)
- Wondrous. Psalm 139:14, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV)
Still have doubts? Ask God for help.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Avoid missed opportunities by giving your burnt offerings a chance to be redeemed!
Turn flops into fulfillment with fun.
Over 140 of Sally Ferguson’s devotionals have been published in Pathways to God (Warner Press). She’s also written for Light From The Word, Chautauqua Mirror, Just Between Us, Adult Span Curriculum, Thriving Family, Upgrade with Dawn and ezinearticles.com. Prose Contest Winner at 2017 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference.
Sally loves organizing retreats and seeing relationships blossom in time away from the daily routine. Her ebook, How to Plan a Women’s Retreat is available on Amazon.
Sally Ferguson lives in the beautiful countryside of Jamestown, NY with her husband and her dad.
Visit Sally’s blog at sallyferguson.net
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