“Where I am Right Now” by Jared Anderson

I absolutely love this song. Not only is it a toe-tappin’ tune, but it reminds me of one of my favorite sayings:

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Teddy Roosevelt

Whenever I get too type-A and hard on myself, I remind myself of that quote so I can slow down all the “should” statements bouncing around in my head. Because how can you expect yourself to do more than what you can do? It doesn’t even make sense to think you can! But there are a lot of us that still try to do it on a daily basis.

So the line in the song that goes, “And the enemy tells that lie, That I’m missing out on a better life,” especially hits home for me because if I’m focused on things I can’t even do (the “should” nags), that dialogue definitely isn’t coming from God. Even the small things we do, as long as it is done with great love (paraphrased from Blessed Mother Theresa) are what God asks us to do…big and grandiose makes only for earthly rewards.

The next time that you find you are comparing yourself with the Jones’ take a moment to evaluate your true situation…some days you really can only function at 80% of your absolute best, and that’s okay because it is what where you are at that day. Just make sure that you recognize the difference between avoidance and self-preservation. We all need a break from running at our maximum from time-to-time, however, make sure to identify whether you are doing it to re-energize your mission of serving God or if it is to avoid being a servant of God. As with so many things about faith…it is the intention that is most important.

If you haven’t already, take a moment to be present as you listen to Jared Anderson’s song. Make your “paws to pray” for the day a self-evaluation of where you are right now.