Remember...

 When God looks at you, he never sees you first from the standpoint of tribe or Nationality or Career choice or social standing. He sees you as the one he fearfully and wonderfully created, simply carrying his image and like him in more ways than one. That's a big deal. 

When we look at ourselves plainly, it's easy to see one who is not good enough or can still do better. Of course, that helps us to keep reaching within to harness our God-given potentials to the maximum. However, in extreme cases, we become so hard on ourselves that we throw away our humanity and forget to breathe. 

Few days ago, I was at a place of berating and passing unfair judgement on myself. I had joined the choir band months back and I was not progressing in the way I thought I should. Week after week I stood in front of the church and sang but it was like I wasn't improving. I started dreading weekends. I downloaded videos on voice projection and I pushed and pushed. I was losing my time in God's presence because I was caught up in being the best. Maybe I wanted to be applauded or patted on the back. Or I just needed someone to sit me down and coach me. I was losing sense of what was important. Until I heard these very words "Go back to your roots". I didn't quite understand because going back to my roots meant so many things. The day after, it was like a picture, that is, memories of how I started singing in a choir in secondary school. God was showing me what it was like then. I didn't care what the world saw. It just was important that I go out there and sing with all my heart. I was worshipping God with what he gave me and that was what counted. I could have been singing in the bathroom, kitchen or while doing laundry. I wasn't worshipping him less at home than I was in public. 

I've not figured it all out but I'm one step away from beating myself up.