Last week I wrote
about GIFTS…this week it’s all about COMPARISON!
So check this out: “For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s
kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly,
unspiritual and demonic. For wherever
there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil
of every kind.” ~James 3:15-16 NLT
Um…I don’t know about you but that word DEMONIC freaks me
out. It is certainly nothing that I want
to be associated with. I think if we
are all truly honest with ourselves we fall into the jealousy trap and
comparison lies a lot. I know I do…I
have done it as a child, a nurse, as a wife, as a Mother, a yoga teacher- you
name it! We gain nothing from this and
it will just bring us down into a spiraling pit of yuckiness. Basically when we do this, we are saying to
God- that those gifts you gave to me are just not good enough. Hmm…
To quote my teacher and founder of Holy Yoga, Brooke Boon: “To
compare myself with others is to intentionally look Christ in the face and say
‘you are not enough’ what you have for me and all that your Word promises, is
not enough. It’s to say that the
temporal fix from believing that I am ‘better than her’ or ‘it’s all her fault’
is more secure than the act of Christ on the cross.” WOW…that is a make you think about yourself
comment right there!
For a few years now- off and on- I have been keeping a
gratitude journal (I’ve been better at it this year). I began doing this after finding one of my
favorite authors, Ann Voskamp. I am a
huge fan of hers and she states in her book, One Thousand Gifts: “How we behold determines if we hold joy. Behold glory and be held by God.” By writing down the every day gifts, by
thanking God for the little things every day…those things you don’t typically
give thanks for, your heart softens. Joy!
You begin to look at your day differently.
Joy! You begin to see Jesus in everything. Joy!
If I can keep my eyes on Jesus- to lean into Him- be anchored to Him-
then I can keep myself out of the comparison pit! Is this easy for me? No! I
have to start looking at the person that I am comparing myself to with the eyes
of Jesus. Not an easy thing to do….not
going to lie.
In Susie Larson’s book, Your Beautiful Purpose, she says
that the Lord spoke this to her heart: “I
have a question for you: Can you honor the “Me” in her?” WOW---I have sat on that statement for a
long time. “Can you honor the “Me” in
her?” Michelle- can you honor the Me in
___________?
So back to that word that I don’t want to be associated
with -- it has been said that both God and the devil have a plan for our
lives. And we are the ones who cast the
deciding vote. Mercy---I’m a Jesus Freak!
I gotta say---I’m going to honor Jesus in whoever I start to
compare myself to or when I start to believe the lies that I’ll never measure
up. What about you?
“Make a careful exploration of who you are
and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be
impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must
take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own
life.” Galatians 6: 4-5
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