"And again, I exhort you...that ye not deny the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men [all] to profit them." --Moroni 10:8
I am reading the book, "Mothering with Spiritual Power: Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family," by Debra Sansing Woods. There is a chapter that touched my heart called, "Embracing Spiritual Gifts." I love her insights...
"Thankfully, over the years, as I've immerses myself in the gospel, I have grasped more fully the concept of my individual worth and the Lord's love for me as his daughter. It is clear to me now that no two mother's are alike nor should they be. So why, waste our time comparing ourselves to other mothers when the truth is that we are each incomparable? The Spirit reminds me that each mom is precious, very precious as an individual to the Lord. And each mom has her own unique set of spiritual gifts and talents that she brings to bear in the scared work of motherhood.
"When we realize this, when we take this knowledge into our hearts and into our minds and allow it to sink deeply into our spirits, the need to compare ourselves with other mothers diminishes and perhaps, over time even disappears altogether....when we let go of comparing ourselves with other moms, we are in a better position to recognize, claim, and develop our spiritual gifts for the benefit and even the delight of our families, others, and even ourselves."
Sometimes, I compare myself to and even judge other moms. It's not something I want to be doing, yet it becomes easy when I feel like I don't measure up.
I learned in church today, to focus on my own path towards eternal life and not compare my path with others. I need to be happy with where I am in life and where I am going; to see my own potential and the potential of others, but not feel that I don't measure up if someone is a few steps ahead.
We all have gifts and talents from God and some have more than others, but it's because they are actively seeking and developing those gifts. They are striving to reach their potential. Likewise I want to be striving to reach y own potential. I am hindered in this pursuit when I compare and judge. I hope to overcome this by praying to recognize, claim, develop, and embrace my own spiritual gifts.
