And this keeps drawing me back: we are given unique, special gifts for the building up of the church so that we can be mature in Him, "measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ." (Ephesians 4:7-13) That's it. Say goodbye to perfectionism and performance, reject what others may think of you because Christ has already given you what you need to be perfectly complete. You measure up.
Satan loves it when we're always picking on ourselves for not measuring up. He's delighted when we pull out a ruler to compare ourselves with others. Good looks, grades, musical skills, stuff, likeable personality traits... We never have enough. We never are enough. And in all our striving, grace goes out the window. In our eyes, some become "gods," perfectly complete in this or that while others become "losers," miserably failing in what we deem to be so valuable.
"But God..." (don't you just love that little phrase?)
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us...raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4,6)
Him coming down to our lowly world and making His home with us means we have been raised up to the status of God's own Son!!! Isn't that enough to quench all comparison, to break all those man-made measuring sticks?!
So this is it: Realize "the immeasurable riches of His grace" (Ephesians 2:7) and know that you measure up to the very fullness of Christ.