"Perfectly Yourself" by Matthew Kelly

Another stellar book club was organized by my church this past winter, “Perfectly Yourself: Discovering God’s Dream For You” by Matthew Kelly. When I think of the diversity of the members of the book club, it really strikes me that despite our differences, both visible and invisible, we had so much in common. Primarily, we questioned our worth and value in this world. Regardless of age, race or gender, we each wondered aloud if we were bringing enough to the table. Were we loving enough for our family, contributing enough at work, available enough to our friends and neighbors? We wanted to give of ourselves, but found we had limited time, energy and money, thus falling short of others’ expectations, as well as our own. Throughout our discussion, we were reminded that we are not required to live up to anyone’s expectations other than God’s. “I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service,…” 1 Timothy 1:12 Walking through the book’s chapters, we shared our individual stories. Doing so highlighted the unique gifts that God has bestowed upon each of us. Often, our gift is the thing that comes so easily to us, we don’t even recognize the value of it. We spend so much time in the “self-help” section of the bookstore trying to obtain a gift that was not meant for us. All along, God has given us a unique gift that we might be equipped to “other-help”. “Other-help” means we take the focus off ourselves, so that we may plant a seed in others enabling their own gift to grow. Though “self-help” is marketed all around us, it is the wrong way to spend your time and energy. While dwelling on qualities that might be less-than someone else’s, you are missing an outstanding opportunity to pour your gifts into someone else. “Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:16 The divisiveness we witness in our society, is a reflection of the divisiveness we feel within ourselves. Looking to others to provide validation of your worth will routinely disappoint. God has created you perfectly in his image to love and bless others. If you seek to make a difference in your life, your family, your society, you don’t have to look any further than the gifts God has given you.

Check out Matthew Kelly’s book to help you recognize your gifts and share them with others.