Daily Devotional 1 Corinthians 12:27

All of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part. 1 Corinthians 12:27

What a good reminder for me!! Even though I REALLY try not to, I find myself WAY to often comparing myself to others!! It is far to easy for me to look at someone and think that they have it all together. They have a trendy little number on, I have the same old jeans and sweatshirt combo on that I wear almost every day. They have washed AND blow dried hair that is spritz with some fantastic, overly priced hair product like Aveeda or something of the sort. I am lucky to wash my hair and it never contains sweet smelling products containing lavender oil or the like!
But what eats away at my soul even more then comparing myself to others is that daily I am fearful of what others think of me, how they perceive me. Do they like me? Do they think I am crazy for using cloth diapers? They must think I am cheap because I use coupons and LOVE to hunt for a good deal!? They clearly think I am a neurotic and over protective mother! The list goes on.... I suppose that this fear is also a way of comparing myself with others. When I really dissect these fears is all comes back to thinking I need to be like everyone else and if I am not then I don't measure up.
God made me, made you, perfect in His eyes! All of my unique qualities, that make me Beth were written in His book before I was even a glimmer in my parents eye! I am designed with a unique purpose and I am not like anyone else...nor should I try to be!! If I try to "be" something that I am not, like someone else then I am not walking the path that my Maker has prepared for me. I am then choosing my own way and His Will is not likely to be done. I WANT to do His Will, I want His Glory to shine down on me, on my family! I want to be exactly who I am because I know that God made me and he is by far the best seamstress around!!
I need to put more emphasis on what God wants me to do, what He thinks of me and less on how others perceive me. Easy to say, hard to do!!