What about me?

John Ortberg is one of my favorite authors.  Ok, so I actually have quite a few "favorite authors", but it just so happens that I'm reading an Ortberg book at the moment.  The Life You've Always Wanted. 

There was a section that I read recently that hit me square in the face.  I'll just let him share it with you...

When I catch myself comparing with others or thinking, I could be happy if only I had what they have, then I know I need to withdraw for a while and listen for another voice.  Away from the winds, the earthquakes, and the fires of human recognition, I can hear again the still, small voice, posing the question it always asks of self-absorbed children:  "What are you doing here?"

Too often I reply to the voice by whining about some of my own Ahabs and Jezebels.  And the voice gently reminds me, as it has reminded thousands of Elijahs before me, that I am only a small part of a much larger movement and that at the end of the day there is only one King whose approval will matter:  "It is the Lord who judges me."

The voice also whispers, Do not despise your place, your gifts, or your voice, for you cannot have another's, and it would not fulfill you if you could.

Ouch.  I believe God has given all of us gifts, talents, passions, and abilities.  God will not waste the gifts He's given us, but often, we just need to stop balking at what we do not have or cannot do, get out of the way, and allow Him to use us.  When it all comes down to it, none of this is really about me anyway.