I Can Only Manage What I Can Measure

In Romans 12:3 I read, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (NIV)

The first and greatest barrier to change in any area of life is pride. Pride keeps me from being honest about the areas where I need to change.

But, the fact is, we all need to change. Nobody has it all together. Even the people I admire most do not have it all together.

The Bible says there’s nothing perfect on Earth except God’s Word. Everything on this planet is broken because of sin. But I walk around trying to impress people. I pretend that I’ve got it all together.

However, If I want to have lasting change, then I first have to humbly assess my current state, which includes admitting that I don’t have it all together. I have to put aside my pride and admit I have struggles in my life.

Romans 12:3 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (NIV).

It may be hard to see myself accurately without help from others. Will I have the courage to ask other people to be honest with me? Am I willing to ask the people closest to me, “Where do I need to change?”

Is it important to see myself accurately? Because I can only manage what I measure.

If I don’t know the measure of my faith, I won’t be able to grow. Likewise, If I don’t know the measure of my health, I can’t develop and grow in health. If I don’t know the measure of where I am financially, I can’t set goals financially. If I don’t know the measure of where I am spiritually or vocationally or relationally, then I can’t grow in those areas. I can only manage what I measure.

For real life change, set aside my pride and take an accurate measure of where I am today. Only then will I be able to see the areas where I need to grow.

In summary, The first and greatest barrier to change in any area of life is pride. Pride keeps me from being honest about the areas where I need to change. Nobody has it all together. Even the people I admire most. The Bible says there’s nothing perfect on Earth except God’s Word. Everything on this planet is broken because of sin. But I walk around trying to impress people. I pretend that I’ve got it all together. To have lasting change, I  have to humbly assess my current state, admitting that I don’t have it all together. Put aside my pride and admit I have struggles. Today’s verse reminds me to not think of myself more highly than I ought, but rather think of myself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to me. It may be hard to see myself accurately without help from others. Am I willing to ask the people closest to me, “Where do I need to change?” I can only manage what I measure. For real life change, set aside my pride and take an accurate measure of where I am today. Only then will I be able to see the areas where I need to grow.

The key to an honest and accurate self-evaluation is knowing the basis of my self-worth, my identity in Christ. Apart from him, I am not capable of very much by eternal standards. Evaluating myself by worldly standards of success and achievement can cause me to think too much about my worth in the eyes of others and thus miss my true value in God's eyes.  Paul uses the concept of the human body to teach how Christians should live and work together. Just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, so Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ.