Could Have Done More
The trip home from my missions’ trip to Papua New Guinea and the Philippines was long and tiring and sweaty hot, and uncomfortable. So, in my “weakened state”, the conversations in my head took a turn for the worse.
The little voice started to tell me that I could have done more and got me focusing on the short comings of the trip rather than on the victories and successes.
Fortunately, I noticed what was going on quickly and put a stop to that.
But, “I could have done more” is an easy trap for us to fall into. I see this frequently in people. Instead of celebrating progress and celebrating accomplishment, people focus on what didn’t get done. They make themselves wrong for not doing more rather than appreciating what they did get done.
That little voice that tells us that we could have done more is not our friend. It is not our ally or encourager. That voice is a thief and a liar. If we choose to listen to it, we suffer.
Yes, it is true that I could have done more. And if I did twice as much as I did, I still could have done more. And if I did 5 times as much as I did, I still could have done more. That voice was trying to get me to discount what I did do and label it as “not enough” because that is what a liar and a thief does.
This dynamic happens frequently in our lives where the liar thief tries to get us to focus on insufficiency and inadequacy, and self-doubt rather than what’s good in our lives, counting our blessings, our victories, and successes.
Beware the liar thief. Don’t listen, don’t believe.
Much Love,
Jonathan
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