Living Joyfully
Helping Pets & Encouraging People
That’s Not My Job
I cringe just saying those words. When we feel as if we are too good to do a job, then we are too big for our britches. I love to hear of the stories of people who started from the “bottom” and worked their way up to the position they are in. It somehow makes the job more worth it. It most cases it also humbles the person, making them willing to do any job that is put before them because they know it’s how they started out.
As a momma I hear this statement a lot from my kids. My hubby and I have set up a chore list that gets changed out each week, but there are times in which one of the kids will be asked to do something that is not on the list and this is when these words come out of their mouths. It’s a teaching moment for us parents to show them that they can help out the family unit even if they are asked to “go above and beyond” but it is a struggle at times to keep from getting upset when they flat out refuse to do the task. But then when isn’t it a struggle to raise kids. It will humble the most proud of people and at the same time make your heart swell with pride when they show initiative and do something without asking.
All too often I hear the words “it’s not my job” rolling around in my head when I don’t feel adequate enough to do the tasks set before me. This could be parenting, this could be in friendships, in confrontations, in life. I want to hide behind these words when I have feel inadequate, but it’s in these moments that I need to look to the one that is adequate and see where He wants me to go. I recently wrote in my journal about feeling threatened, but not in the normal way people would think. In the threat I faced it was about my inability to see my worth and so I started to see my way of life being threatened by change. I started to doubt my knowledge and skills. I started to think that the people around me didn’t want me around as much so replacements were being sought after. I was being threatened by my own toxic thoughts. The way I imagined myself coping with these thoughts was to spout “that’s not my job” when I knew what I really needed to do was change my thinking. In the children’s book I wrote called “Rae’s New Shine” (coming soon, email me if interested in purchasing), Rae lost her shine because she didn’t feel her worth, she had to change the way she thought of herself in order to get her shine back.
Our “shine” gets blemished constantly. The world throws us curveballs all of the time. If you have teens it’s almost on a constant basis. But if we ground ourselves in knowing who we are, and not what we are (i.e. wife, mother, cook, taxi driver…etc) we can get our shine back. God calls us sons and daughters in Christ. He doesn’t call us “what we do for a living in” in Christ but he does use our talents to help others. We may not be doing the job we thought we would be doing, and we may say “that’s not my job” a lot whether in our minds or sadly out loud, but we are still in the place we are in because we have been put there for a reason. Every day I give my kids back to God, I pray for them, and I love them to the best of my ability. I was not called to be their parent alone though, I have my hubby, friends and family but most importantly I have God who has boldly said “that is my job” He says that to everyone in all situations but we need to chose to say yes to His declaration and stop saying “that isn’t my job”. There is peace in knowing you don’t have to be in control, there is joy in knowing God is. Joy is strength and with strength comes the ability to be humble and do the tasks in front of you. This is living joyfully. Until next time:
All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgement and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be.
Brene Brown
Rae's New Shine Childrens Book
One day Rae woke up and felt different. When she looked at the people around her they seemed to “shine brighter” than she did. When she finally prayed about it and asked her mom for help, she realized she didn’t know her own worth. She didn’t believe in herself and felt dim compared to others. Once she started to see she was talented and worthy her shine came back.
$12.00
Living Joyfully 