Comparison...or Commitment?

      Good night, it's been a week since I was last here.  File this one under "Oh well."
      My plan was to return to this subject within a day or two.  Can I just say, planning and plans have never been my strong suit?  That's what you might call an understatement.  Not quite sure how my family has survived my organizational challenges, but it's all just positive proof of our Lord's amazing and infinite grace.  He somehow fills in the gaps of our failures, smooths out the wrinkles of our shortcomings, continues to love and teach us through it all, and, remarkably, uses it all--every last shred of it--to His glory.  Oh how I love Him.
      Soooo, here's what I started to say: "Let's pretend I'm one of those organized, amazing people you read about in books on "How to be the best mom ever!" or "What you need to have the perfect family...in 127 easy steps!" or "You, too, can have an organized, beautiful, restful home with absolutely no clutter!"
      But then I thought, "Naah.  Don't think so."  Never much liked those kinds of books, since all they ever did was cause me to flame out after an excited paroxysm of initial enthusiasm...often resulting in a crash and burn of failure.  The mythical, perfect "ideal" can sure fuel frustration and discouragement.  And you know why?  Because we tend to compare ourselves (never, ever, ever a good thing to do anyway) with others.  And we often compare our weaknesses with their strengths.  No wonder we grow downhearted!
      First and foremost, we need to jettison comparison.  Period.  All comparison ever results in is either discouragement because we're not "measuring up."  Or, alternatively, pride--again, always, always, always a terrible thing--because we perceive that at least we're doing way better than old so and so.
      Nope.  Forget comparisons.  Let's go for commitment.
      Commitment first and foremost to God.  To daily seeking Him.  To loving Him.  To following Him.  To enjoying Him.
      Secondly, commitment to giving our best effort and doing it all to God's glory.  "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (I Cor.10:27)  Or, as one of my favorite verses puts it: "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of an inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Col.3:23-24)
      Not commitment to perfect.  Not commitment to performance.  But commitment to a Person--the Lord Jesus and His glory.
      If we mess up a billion times today...if we fail in every possible way in the world's eyes, but we succeed in the Savior's eyes because we're seeking to pursue and please Him?  Well, then, count this day a blazing success!
      Finally commitment to loving one another.  Loving, forgiving, forbearing, encouraging the imperfect, but created-in-God's-image people in our lives.  No, I can 't offer my family the perfect home.  The perfect meals.  The perfect organizational system.
      But I can offer them my utter and total complete commitment to loving them with every fiber of my heart.  To loving them well...not perfectly.  To loving them in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than trying perform like an idealized Martha Stewart.
      Yep, I've shared it a billion times, but as Mother Teresa once said, "All our troubles come from looking around rather than up."  Looking around spells comparison.  Looking up fuels commitment.        Time to look up to the Father rather than around at the world.  He's our Model.  He's our Standard.  He's our Empowerment.  He's our Enabler.  He's our Savior.  And He is infinitely worthy of our commitment.
      We're committed, Father.  Keep our eyes trained upon You, rather than the world, so we might live this day by Your power and for Your glory.  To God be the glory.