“My goal is not to be better than anyone else, but to be better than I used to be.”
~ Wayne Dyer
To focus inward or to focus outward? No, I’m not trying to be some Shakespeare, I’m just stating that most people begin with that approach in life. Too many focus outward. They note the faults and failings of others. They are quick to point out what is not working. They compare themselves with others and try to come up with all the reasons that they are better.
The best way to approach our lives is to focus inward, to take a personal inventory of who we are, what talents we have, and what we have done with those talents. The next question, then, becomes the most crucial: “What can I do to be better than I was yesterday?”
Some people do not like asking that question because it steers them in the wrong direction. When they take stock of who they are, what they have, and what they have done, they often feel as if they have failed somehow and give up. We should never let our faults and failings lead us to quit. We should use them to improve ourselves.
God has given us a remarkable set of gifts and He will give us even more if we are willing to utilize them. God does not want any of us to fail or to feel like failures. He wants us to see ourselves as He sees us. He wants us to know the glory that He has in store for us. He wants us to feel as if we are right with the world.
No need, then, to look down upon others or to look down upon ourselves. Look, instead, through the eyes of God and cherish everyone and everything around us.
FAITH ACTION: Take stock of your spiritual life and ask yourself what you need to do better.