When I was younger I was a gymnast. I spent hours and hours training. My team members were my family. I spent more time with them than I did my friends from school. My life was wrapped up in everything that happened at the gym. My very identity felt dependent on my skill level. I fully embraced and loved having something to be so engrossed in. I also liked the immediate numerical feedback for my performance. Since that time I’ve not had anything in my life quite like gymnastics.

I am starting to realize that I am guilty of living life wanting that immediate numerical feedback. I would love to get a 10 for cleaning house. I would also love a 10 for laundry and grocery shopping. I would love for someone to pat me on the back and tell me what a good job I did. A “You really stuck your landing on picking snacks” would feel very satisfying.

I ran across a video last week that adequately depicts what life feels like for me a lot of the time.

What’s my point?  Glad you asked.

I enjoy silly memes that can be found all over the internet.  Some of my favorites are the “UR doin it wrong” ones. Google it. There are many.  Just like this video, they depict blatant procedural error. 

Do you ever feel like – Life, UR doin it wrong?  I do. There is no point system. There is a system of laws. You can certainly lose freedoms by breaking those. Otherwise, though, you are on your own.

My life often feels like I am swimming on land. I put in effort and I don’t feel like I am getting anywhere. I get excited about an opportunity only to find out I inadvertently tanked it. I do my level best and I am left feeling like a fool. It is disheartening. I just feel “wrong” lots of the time.

I don’t tell you that to garner pity. I tell you that because I know that my identity is not dependent on my skill level. I can swim on land to the glory of God. In His eyes I am not wrong. I may do things the hard way. I may not use the right tools in the right environment. I may not stick even one landing. BUT…. My identity is set by the One who made me in His very image.

I want to encourage me and you. I am not “wrong” and you are not “wrong”.  We each have plenty to offer. And, as much as our culture would like to tell us otherwise, life is not a judged sport.  Numerical feedback will not be accurate. Whether it is the weight on the scale or the cash value of all we have, numerical feedback will never be able to define how successful we are at life.

1 Samuel 16:7 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

We may look like the guys in the silly video. The world may slap on some labels for good measure. The truth, though, is the Lord sees our hearts. He sees us dive into our puddles with hearts for Him and he blesses that effort in spite of our procedural errors. We don’t need a points system. We just need to live our lives without caring so much where we stand in comparison to others. Once again, I am preaching to myself.

So let’s swim on land to the glory of God. Let’s engross ourselves in Kingdom things with Kingdom mindsets and let God heap on great big globs of glorious goopy grace. He is up for the task.