What's Your -er?

We have all had an -er at one time or another. I know my -er’s robbed me of much time in my teens and early twenties. They did nothing more than cause distraction and discouragement.

Thin-er, smart-er, rich-er, pretty-er, tall-er, short-er.

You can probably relate. We chase the -er’s with the assumption that once we attain them, we will be rewarded with the most important -er of them all.

Happy-er.

“If only I could achieve (blank), then I would be happier.”
“If only I were (blank), then I would be happier.”

Have those thoughts ever crossed your mind?
No?
Of course, not. How silly of me to ask. 😉

Well, even if you have never personally experienced such thoughts, I feel confident that many people, shall I say even many believers, are still living life with the expectation that once they can achieve their -er, their life will be inherently better.

But wait. What’s wrong with wanting a better, happier life?

Nothing.

We should want better, happier lives. However, the devil is in the details. We need to look at the motivation behind our -er’s. Are they Godly -er’s that will ultimately allow us to have better, happier lives, or are they -er’s that have a root of self-service and pride?

When we are the focus of our -er, it takes our eyes off of God, and it shifts our motivations from being of service to others to being servants to ourselves.

The truth is that the desire of our unhealthy -er’s tend to be rooted in the flesh and have a foundation built upon comparison, ungratefulness, or pride.

Strong words. I know.

When a new -er sprouts up in our hearts and minds, we need to challenge that -er with critical and honest thought. “Is the root of this -er based upon comparison, ungratefulness, or pride?”

Instead of chasing after -er’s that lend no profit to our souls, we need to be focused on how we can attain the -er’s that God sees as imperative to a prosperous life. We can then choose to focus our attention on pursuing the -er’s that have eternal value.

There are -er’s that benefit your soul and the Kingdom of God.
Holy-er, kind-er, healthy-er, humble-er, gentle-er, bold-er, wise-er.

Can I stir the pot just a little more?

Maybe for you to be healthy-er, you need to be thin-er. Perhaps to complete a call God has placed on your life, you need to go to school and become smart-er. It all comes back to the “why.” Always be mindful of your motivator.

There is one crucial thing I hope you have realized about the -er’s.

They are an indicator that there is always another level to strive for. That’s the entire point of their structure. The final shift only happens when you go from -er to -est.

Rich-er to rich-est. Kind-er to kind-est.

Only one person gets to hold the -est title. The winner in a race is the fast-est, and no one can take that away.

Our souls crave the -est’s of life because there is a fullness and completeness that comes from the -est. It may be temporary, but it still keeps generation after generation pursuing it. The fast-est one week will return to maintain the title the next week, and regardless if they hold or lose the title, they show up again and again.

Persistence is important. Longsuffering and endurance are qualities needed by those who follow Christ. However, instead of using our -er’s to pursue the -est’s of this world, we need to use our -er’s to seek The -EST.

Our God is the High-est, Kind-est, Gentle-est, Great-est, Holy-est, and Wise-est. He is every wonderful -est we can think of.

He is the only -est that can bring everlasting fullness.
He makes you joy-full, hope-full, grate-full, and faith-full.

So, friend, can we remember that the -er’s we should be focused on are the ones that prosper our souls and allow God to help us complete the works He has planned for us?

Let’s stop measuring ourselves with the -er’s of comparison, ungratefulness, and pride. Instead, let’s focus on the -er’s that allow us to run after The -EST, because as we do, He welcomes us into His fullness, and trust me –

It’s the Great-est!