 | Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. - Proverbs 6:6-8 NIV |
As with ants, we can learn lessons from God's creation and the creatures He purposefully filled it with. Yesterday, while taking a much needed break, I sat to admire the view and instead found myself watching the bees which were much closer.
For in a patch of flowers right in front of me, a couple handful of bees busily buzzed about. As I sat and watched them work, I noticed their little feet digging down into the clover like flowers. But they were not thorough. They touched certain parts. Then they moved on. Then another bee came and worked on that same flower.
Today I attended the first of the two day SheSpeaks Conference. So many wonderful speakers shared such beautiful messages. I am looking forward to tomorrow. But one thing that was spoken and reiterated was that we don't have to fear others' accomplishments. We don't have to feel that someone beat us to it. We don't have to worry about someone doing it better.
Instead they reminded us that God has a job for each of us. How God has prepared good works for each of us. Because God gave us a unique voice to share a message that while it may be similar to others, will reach different people than who the others will reach. And it's not about who has a better message or can tell it better, it's about being honestly vulnerable about our own story.
Just like how multiple bees work on a single flower, so many of us will address the same topic. Sometimes two bees will work on the same flower together. 
But that flower, that topic, cannot be fully addressed by one bee alone. It needs the perspectives and forms of being shared by many different bees to care for one flower, one topic. Because we cannot tell it all. And today we were warned not to try but to focus on the part that we can add our voice to, because we've had experience with it and now a story to share about it.
One of the ladies at SheSpeaks used the example of multiple teachers teaching to the same room of people. Instead of competing to have the best message or feeling inadequate because of what the others were teaching, she pointed out each of their messages would reach a different group of people, so if they all taught the same thing from the same viewpoint, not everyone would be reached. So focus on your message, because God intends to reach someone specifically with your unique story.
So if God calls you to work on a topic, drown out the lying voices of comparison with the truth that your perspective on the matter is unique to you, and will reach different people. And the truth that if this topic had been fully covered and there was nothing new to be said about it, God wouldn't be sending someone else to address it.
Jesus sees all the problems in the world and every person who struggles with each problem. He also knows which workers will work in which part of the field. He knows whose message will reach which people. But He also knows the workers are few.
There isn't a lack of work to be done because one person can not do it all. There is a lack of people willing to stand up to the role God has called them to fulfill.
So where is God calling you to? What has He given you to do? Who has He placed on your heart to reach? How is He leading you to share your story? Will you say yes to Him today?