Most days are just ordinary days (or so we think). I don’t necessarily have grand revelations or significant events to speak of on those days. Life-defining moments typically only happen here and there…..but today, the Lord keeps laying the simple word of “just” on my heart. I can think of not just ONE, but three times he has used the word “just” in my life today.
First of all, I was reading a post on Facebook that got me thinking. A friend was talking about what her aging horse meant to her, and someone replied something along the lines of a horse is so much more than “just a horse.” Her comment is what got the ball rolling for me today.
Though I’ve never owned a horse, I would absolutely agree with that statement. It drives me CRAZY when someone calls a dog “just a dog.” To me, there is no such thing as “just a dog.” Our dog is a family member. He was here before my husband and daughter joined me. Now that we have a daughter, I try to ensure him every day that he is still just as loved now as he was then. Even as our lives have changed, he is always there: Always there to lay next to me when I’m sick, when I’m sad, when I’m having a bad day…or just because. On the days I feel like a failure, he looks at me like I’m absolutely everything. His heart and intelligence is like that of a toddler. He taught (and still teaches me so much about life), but that is another blog in itself. With that said: When referring to a person or a furry family member, please never say the word “just” to me.
Then, my mom and I had a conversation about life and goals today. We got to talking about the housewife life and how she stayed home with us when we were growing up. I told her she was so many things to us and that the term “just a housewife” drives me crazy, because there really is no such thing as “just” a housewife. She was and is a mom. A cook. A counselor. A mentor. A teacher. A leader. A seamstress. A housekeeper. A repair lady. A bookkeeper. A hairstylist. A tutor. A nurse. A chauffeur. A cheerleader. A 24/7 friend…….to 4 children at one time.
Lastly, I was watching a sitcom that likely isn’t new to many of you, but is new to me. (I tend to discover all the cool shows on netflix way after their prime). “The Middle” is a good show to demonstrate my point even further. Today, I was watching an episode where a hardcore motivational consultant tries to whip Middle America mom/failing car saleswoman Frankie into shape. Frankie doesn’t value herself and sees herself as “just a mom.” The consultant challenges and inspires her to realize she isn’t “just”…..she is everything and can do anything.
At this point, I’m thinking, “Okay. I get it. Time for a blog.”
So here we are, friends.
It’s time to eliminate “just” when speaking about ourselves and other people…
You aren’t “just a mom.”
“Just a housewife.”
“Just a customer service representative.”
“Just a laborer.”
You are MORE.
It’s time to eliminate “just” when talking about our jobs, goals and career ambitions. Your dream doesn’t have to be “just a dream.”
“Just” limits us, undermines and disappoints. “Just” holds us hostage and keeps us from setting goals.
“Just” is a defeating and discouraging word in far too many cases.
God didn’t create you to be “just this” or “just that.”
We are eternal beings with individual purposes. While your current job or season may feel boring, mundane, and limiting, it still doesn’t change the fact that you were created for a purpose that ONLY YOU can do.
The thing about life is we never get to see the big picture and the start to finish all at once. We only get to see it one step at a time. We see where we are and where we’ve been. We have hopes and plans of where we want to go, but our hopes and plans remain hopes and plans, until the future becomes the present.
But maybe….just maybe….we need to start viewing “just” a little differently.
What looks like a “just”….just may be what is leading you to your big break.
What looks like a “just”…just may be exactly what you are looking for.
What looks like a “just”….just may be the way that you meet your future spouse.
What looks like a “just”….just may be a beautiful forever friendship.
What looks like a “just”….just may make someone’s day.
What looks like a “just”…just may change someone’s life.
What looks like “just an ending”…..just may be a beginning.
Lose the “just” when it contains a negative connotation.
See the beauty and the value in what appears to be “just a normal day.”
Recognize the potential and the growth in what appears to be “just a job.”
Remember the goals you set and the desires God has placed in your heart whenever you think you are “just a housewife,” “just a mom,” or “just a laborer.”
“Just” is what happens when we limit ourselves, other people and opportunities.
“More” is what happens when we continue to dream, work hard and believe that we serve a limitless God.
Lose the “just.” Look for the “more.”