The human condition

Green isn't a flattering color on me....

Recently, I have adopted an unsavory habit that I'm not proud of at all. It's actually fairly difficult for me to talk about because I am aware of just how unattractive it is but I know I'm not alone.

I have started to compare. Yes, ladies and gents, I have begun the slippery descent down the hillside. Here's how it works: I read something a friend writes on facebook and think, "I should be doing that!" I read something on a blog written by a complete stranger and think, "Hey, I could do that!" I receive a phone call from a friend to tell me about news they have and I think, "Wow, why am I not doing that?" So you see, it's quite a slippery hillside I'm standing on and the pathway down is a short, speedy one. It all starts with the thin, creepy, haunting voice of self doubt and before you know it, your bum is raw from all the rocks you're hitting on the way down and your face is left caked in mud.

The tricky thing with this particular hillside is that self-improvement is a positive thing. Stretching oneself through the pain of positive change is most certainly rewarding. God asks us to be willingly molded by His Word and His Will. However, my pesky little human brain fails to remember, at times of weakness, that God does not ask me to compare myself with others. He does not say, "Dear child, I am going to place individuals in your life for your to painstakingly compare yourself to. Please twist and push and pull yourself in all directions in an attempt to measure up to them. If you fail to measure up, in your opinion, please spend hours beating yourself up."

That just didn't seem right so I did some research. What He does have to say about comparison:

"Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else." Galatians 6:4

Focusing on improving what God has already made beautiful is the fun part. That's the kind of change I can get behind. Thank you, Jesus for the Word. It's pretty amazing in times where I get to sliding, uncontrollably down a muddy hillside.