The big assignments seem to avoid me. I don't mean that there is nothing for me to do. I mean that my assignments don't always seem very significant. Even at home.
I was coloring with my 5-year old yesterday when I once again got the small assignment. We were coloring from the same book, which meant we would have to choose a 2-page spread to color. Below is what my 5-year old chose for herself.
Ok, that is alright. She chose a ballerina bear. I could do something like that. I've got years of coloring experience, after all. But what do I get?
Candy wrappers? And not just one candy wrapper. Four candy wrappers. Except for the one which is slightly different than the others, this assignment did not leave me much creative input. This kind of thing happens to me all the time. Perhaps you feel the same way. If we're to believe all the hype, then where does that leave us with regular assignments?
If we were made for more, then how come it seems like we get less. I'm training to be more humble. It's not something I'm doing on purpose. It's not like I'm in intense training, vying for the Most Humble Man Award. But just to be sure, I could totally win that award year after year. I'm sure you're not surprised.
Nevertheless, I am in training. I haven't chosen it, yet it has chosen me. I realize I'm in training every time I compare what I do to what somebody else is doing. In case you're wondering, no, that is not the best way to train for humility.
It's all too easy to imagine what else I could be doing. In my imagination, it's always bigger and better. After all, who imagines life as smaller or worse than it actually is? And although I've never been one for pithy poetry and posters that make solutions easier than they actually are, I do believe in the endeavor to bloom where you are planted.
I was reminded of this when coloring with my daughter.
We need to accept the assignment we've been given and do our best there. Because sometimes, you'll be called on to do more, like when my daughter asked for help finishing her page. I totally owned those color choices.
I was coloring with my 5-year old yesterday when I once again got the small assignment. We were coloring from the same book, which meant we would have to choose a 2-page spread to color. Below is what my 5-year old chose for herself.
Candy wrappers? And not just one candy wrapper. Four candy wrappers. Except for the one which is slightly different than the others, this assignment did not leave me much creative input. This kind of thing happens to me all the time. Perhaps you feel the same way. If we're to believe all the hype, then where does that leave us with regular assignments?
If we were made for more, then how come it seems like we get less. I'm training to be more humble. It's not something I'm doing on purpose. It's not like I'm in intense training, vying for the Most Humble Man Award. But just to be sure, I could totally win that award year after year. I'm sure you're not surprised.
Nevertheless, I am in training. I haven't chosen it, yet it has chosen me. I realize I'm in training every time I compare what I do to what somebody else is doing. In case you're wondering, no, that is not the best way to train for humility.
It's all too easy to imagine what else I could be doing. In my imagination, it's always bigger and better. After all, who imagines life as smaller or worse than it actually is? And although I've never been one for pithy poetry and posters that make solutions easier than they actually are, I do believe in the endeavor to bloom where you are planted.
I was reminded of this when coloring with my daughter.
We need to accept the assignment we've been given and do our best there. Because sometimes, you'll be called on to do more, like when my daughter asked for help finishing her page. I totally owned those color choices.
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