Today, I’m linking up with Crystal Stine for Behind the Scenes!
My daughter loves Pinterest. She was asking me about themes for her 5th birthday party, so I decided to grab my iPad and introduce her to a world of dreamy ideas. We scrolled through princesses and pink perfection. She needs a pintervention…
This whole idea of pinning is genius. Any idea you need is out there and yours for the taking. Remember the old ad campaign for Toyota? “You asked for it. You got it, Toyota.” It’s nearly the same with Pinterest. You asked for it; you got it. Well, you’ve got the idea. But only the idea…
As much as I love pinning my way through dinner parties, dream homes, shoes, and cupcakes, (God bless the cupcakes) all of this pinning and pining for more can lead us into a heap of trouble.
Friday night I went out to dinner with some friends. On my way home, I decided to take advantage of being alone in the car and pray. After interceding for family and friends I began asking God to reveal the next steps for me to take in ministry.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you begin asking God questions, you can end up praying the answers right then and there? I know, right!
One minute I was praying, seeking, and asking, and in the next I began to speak about contentment within it all. It was at that very moment I knew God was saying, “Be content and let Me take care of the rest.”
1 Timothy 6:6-7
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (N.K.J.V.)
Pinning is sort of like dreaming. Let me tell you, the good Lord knows that when it comes to dreaming, this girl has her head in the clouds. I’m a dreamer by nature and it can be wonderful. However, there must be balance.
Sometimes, when we dream,we compare. And chances are, somebody out there already has what we want. So, we begin trying to emulate their success. We get so caught up in what they did to achieve their goals that we forget about who we are, and more importantly, who God created us to be.
We need to embrace contentment within the dream. If we don’t, we will never be good enough, smart enough or strong enough to press onward. Why? Because we will constantly be comparing ourselves against someone else’s success and God’s plan for their life rather than staying focused on His plan for ours. We will ultimately hold ourselves back.
Yesterday, on a morning talk show, Serena Williams was asked if she prays before a match. She said she does, but she never prays to win, only for strength. I thought that was beautiful.
So often, we focus our prayers on the fulfillment of our dreams. We want the “win” so bad that we forget about the strength we need along the way to achieve it.
When it comes to fulfilling dreams with contentment and without comparison, we are all in need of supernatural strength.
So, the balance between pinning and pining really comes down to this…
Contentment.
He created you with a very specific purpose in mind. Work to find contentment in who He designed you to be, and give Him the glory throughout each step of your journey.
Happy Tuesday, friends!
Love,
Jennifer
Oh I love this… pinning or pining… and girl!!! I can compare and grump a whole lot when I think that I am not measuring up to someone else’s standards. Thank you so much sweet friend for such a beautiful reminder to focus on what matters!
Hi Tonya! Comparison is, by far, one of the most difficult battles women face. Remembering that God has a perfect plan designed just for us is what can help us to put comparison aside and grasp on to all that He has in store for us! Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful day!
Dear Jennifer
The contentment that The presence of Jesus brings to our inmost hearts, is something this world can never really understand. Whatever happens , we know that we don’t walk this road alone. Actually, as we rest and abide in Jesus, He is the One who carries us through life!
Blessings XX
Mia
Very true, Mia:).
Well said. I enjoy social media for many reasons but it can certainly carry me into dangerous territory concerning contentment. Thank you for sharing what’s on your heart today.
Thanks for reading, Heidi!
Social media often presents a false reality. Perfect homes, perfect children, perfect projects have to guard my heart from comparison often. What would happen if people decided to share more of real, messy and mundane life?
Bless the cupcakes, YES. And the dreaming, too. As a girl whose head is often floating off into the clouds with some craaaazy wonderful dreams, one thing He continues to teach me is that there is so much JOY to be found along the journey, even in the “normal” days. The end (the dream) will be nice, but the steps to get there are full of blessings, too. Love this post and your perspective, friend…thank you for sharing! 🙂
Hi, Mel. You are right, the joy in the journey is beautiful and gives us perspective for our next steps! Have a great day, friend!
So wise of you to make that distinction…pinning or pining. It’s way too easy for us to get lost in a dream world “I want”. I opened an Pinterest acct almost a year ago but never got hooked. Your warning to be content can be applied to all social media. Between followers, stats and friends we can make the mistake of putting the desire for things and people before Him. This was a great post and wonderful reminder to pursue contentment. Visiting you from Behind the Scenes!
Yes, social media of any kind needs balance. So true! Thanks for reading, Lisha!