Play your part

There is wisdom in playing your part. In a play, each actor sticks with their own parts. If one actor starts playing someone else's part in addition to their own, the whole thing would be confusing. We understand this concept when it comes to acting but it is challenging to apply it in our own lives at times.

Here is how my family and I are playing our part: 

• We can't do everything - as a matter a fact, we won't do everything. I have learned not to kill myself just so I look busy and my kids look successful. Doing the death march from activity to activity only means we are busybodies. Find our focus and sticking with our family's plan is worth the effort.

• We're not good at everything - we're not great at every sport out there. We're not good at every art form. We really are not good at crafting. Because I know this, I focus on our strengths. If I notice one of us is interested in a certain area, we will be glad to try. I don't believe in "you can be anything you want to be." We need to stop that lie. Why? Because a professional ballerina will have a hard time winning the super bowl and vice-versa. We can be open to discovering our sweet spot without lying to ourselves.

• We are good at being a family - we are good at loving and nurturing. We are good at encouraging one another and believing in one another. We are good at forgiving. We are good at teaching. We are good at training our children for good works. God made us a family and I choose to believe that's what we're good at.

• We are willing to learn - we learn from God's word and we learn from others. We also learn from our many mistakes.

How are you playing your part?