Blessings and Hangups

I'm a first child. I'm a first child with all the blessings and hangups that are usually associated with that position.

I'm blessed to have a driven nature, but I tend towards a perfectionism that can make me miserable.

I long to please others by following the rules and meeting expectations, but I sometimes lose my compass for True North in the process.

I have a perceptiveness for other's true feelings, but I drive myself crazy analyzing and re-analyzing situations and conversations.

I am concerned about details, but I agonize over details.

I'm completely human....and God knows it.

Psalm 103:13-14 says, "As a father has compassion on his children, sot he Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he know how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust."

Dust. Human. Frail. Sinful. Fallible. Flawed.

Yet it gives me comfort that He sees me, knows I'm dust and has compassion.

My Bible study this morning reminds me that the Bible is a book that has God--holy, infallible, perfect--as the Star. But His Word surrounds Him with people--scarred, silly and sinful. His Word so accurately points us to real life and slices of life of His children.

I love slice of life stories told in movies, history books and novels. The Bible is the greatest source of slice of life stories ever told. It's real and exciting and challenging.

This morning I read about Timothy. Paul says to him, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (II Timothy 1:6-7)

I wonder, was Timothy struggling? Was Paul reminding him to keep his insecurity in check and to keep his eyes focused on the One who had called him? Was Timothy a first child with the blessings of encouraging family but hangups too?....just like me?

Blessings and hangups...we all have both. I'm thankful this morning that God loves me and has compassion on me just as I am all the while moving me toward what I can be. Comforting.

How about you? Do you have any blessings and/or hangups that you'd share?