Who is your standard?

A few months ago, when my husband parked, I told him that our car was not properly parked - it didn't look straight. When we got out of the car, I confirmed that indeed, our car was not parked straight and quickly "saw" why too- the car parked next to us, which we used as a "guide" wasn't parked straight either. That experience got me thinking about the question: "Who is your standard?"

Let's think about that question. I usually say: "the fact everyone is doing the wrong thing does not make it right." It is so easy to get carried away by the current - in a bid to be like others. I do my best to remember that as Mrs. Pastor, I cannot be like every other Mrs. Pastor - I can learn from them but not be like them. I like to remind myself that God has a distinct assignment for me - I can learn how to accomplish it with other people's trials, tips tools, techniques and triumphs but must never try to replicate what they have done.

We just finished talking about mentoring - being one or being mentored. One key thing to remember in mentoring is the role model aspect. Recently, when talking to Ministers and Workers, Pastor EA Adeboye said that if you want to be great, you need a role model. I do agree with him because that's a "short cut" God has provided for us to "walk in another's footsteps" but that doesn't mean we should become like that person - exactly what I was saying above. Paul was clear in his advice: "Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah). (1 Cor 11:1 - Amp)

There are a few women - Mrs Pastors and Mrs alike, who though I'm not close enough to them for them to be my mentors, I look up to them as role models. Are there any such individuals you have identified? You people you'd "like to be like when you 'grow up'?" I take care in "liking" so I have a godly standard. I've also with drawn my "role model liking" from some because they have strayed off. Rather I learn from them what not to do.  So: "Who is your standard?" Who do you want to model your life after? We know the best example that ever lived...

A note of caution: Be careful as you choose a role model &/or mentor so you remain aligned with the Word of God not the world. To an extent, I agree with Tyron Edwards that: "People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher and better than themselves." Oliver Goldsmith put it differently: "People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy." So we need to consciously look for the higher and better...

The bottom line is: The right higher standard sets you up for success. Look up...