Tabitha

                  And who knows but that

                 You have been created 

                 For such a time as this.   

                               Esther 4:14

We read so many beautiful stories in the scriptures, especially regarding women. One such story is of Tabitha, a woman with perfect passion. She did not fear her destiny, nor did she question if she was even good enough, but she lived a life of service, never concerned if she was capable or lacking in any way. She just served.

Tabitha or Dorcas seems to have been a well-off widow living in Joppa. The Greeks referred to her as “mathetria,” meaning female disciple. This word was not used lightly in the New Testament. She was known as a Holy Women of good repute and spent her time doing good works and “acts of charity.” She was so loved and essential to helping her community, even her name indicates a woman of grace, beauty and energy. No fear just service. She herself was without a husband yet she looked after the marginalized. She made clothing for those without, she watched over the fatherless and widows. In fact, her type of service was needed so desperately that Peter raised her from the dead.

How does this relate to you? What were women expect to do at her time? How did she do her job and still take care of her family? Was she criticized for doing or being something others believed was not justified to do because she was a women?

It may not be our calling in life to do such a thing as Tabitha, yet we do have a purpose in life that is much greater than ourselves. We can follow that purpose and live it with passion.

So how do we do that?  How can we be like Tabitha? Let’s start with our feelings of not being good enough. That by itself can give us doubt about our ability’s to fulfill our callings in life. That alone can prevent us from having passion to reach and fulfill our destiny.

We live in a world where we feel pressure to always be the best at everything. The best wife, friend, role model, mommy, neighbor- you name it, we should be the best at it, right? NO!   That isn’t even humanly possible. Let that idea go.

A lot of studies confirm that this idea or desire to be everything to everyone and the fear of not being ‘good enough’ is pervasive especially among women. This idea can permeate in every area of our lives: in our personal life, in our professional life, or even in our voluntary service. This idea is detrimental to our progress, our love of life and our passion. But there is hope. The following are some important keys to help us become greater and do it with passion:

1-    Recognize where this thought is coming from. Is this coming from our true self or the outside world? Just noticing will make us more self-aware of what we need to change. Self-reflection of us, not social media, or magazines or Hollywood. We need to focus on what is inside of us, not on our appearance, or our property, or what we don’t have.

2-    Pressure from our selves. What we think determines how we feel and how we act. Does that sound too simple? Change one negative thought at a time.

3-    Comparison is our greatest enemy. We live in a society with invisible markers that tell us what we should do or become. When we compare ourselves to others, it is from our worst struggle to their best show. We feel we should be already perfect or already have reached our potential. Do not compare yourself.

4-    Be true to yourself. Be honest. Take the time to know what you really want to do and who you really are. Sometimes we have to dig deep. The outside influences in life are just fluff after you know who you are.

5-    Realize that all people struggle with something. We just can’t see it. We need to take the time to see others as who they really are. It is easier to just love them for the truth, not what they appear to be to us. We are all of great value.

6-    Focus on what you have to offer. This is the biggest of all the keys. Where you place your focus is where you find your passion.

Tabitha did what she could with what she had and what she was doing. She magnified her calling, but did not follow a path that was expected of women at the time. Tabitha just followed her destiny. She cared about her people and about her God. She showed her love by giving her time and labor.

She is the kind of a person that is needed in our world today. We need more people who are passionate about what they do. We need people that just care and do it with passion. You are good enough.

Our passion may not even be noticed or accepted by those whom we help. They may turn us away in-spite of our efforts. Whatever we do to reach out may be shunned or unappreciated. We need to keep the passion alive anyway. We can return good for evil.

Be passionate as Mother Teresa wrote: “Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God, it was never between you and them anyway. The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow, do good anyway.  And might I add, do it with passion, you do have what is needed and you are good enough. You are needed for who you are and for where you are.

Kristena Eden   http://kristenasfineart.com