March 29, 2012
The Slippery Slope of Comparison
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together,” (Colossians 1:17 NIV).
Friend to Friend
OK girls, it’s time for a little fun today. I hope you can get this picture in your mind. Let me paint it for you.
I am not, and never have been, a very athletic person. If it's round and moves, I can't hit it, catch it or kick it. My husband, on the other hand, is very athletic. He played sports in high school, and even had a partial baseball scholarship to Clemson University.
The one thing I can do athletically, besides walk, is snow ski. For some reason, that just came naturally to me, probably because there is no ball involved. When Steve and I started dating, I offered to teach him how to maneuver down the slippery slopes. He was aware of my athletic deficiencies and decided that if I could do it, he could do it.
We went to Sugar Mountain, N.C. for his first lesson. The key survival skills to learn when skiing are how to slow down, how to stop, and how to get up once you fall. The first thing Steve learned was how to get up, because the first thing he did was fall.
To slow down, I taught Steve to ski across the mountain, weaving back and forth, as he made his way down. He quickly learned to slow down by turning his skis to the left or to the right. However, he had a tendency to turn too far which left him with his skis pointing up the mountain. When this happened, he began sliding downhill backwards. Not good.
Finally, he figured out if he turned too much to the side, he could just continue the turn, making a complete circle. This slowed him down and prevented him from sliding downhill backwards. So here was this big guy making big circles all the way down the mountain like a human slinky on ice. It was a sight to behold, but it worked.
Near the end of the day, a lady skied up beside Steve and said, “I have been admiring your acrobatics all day long. Can you teach me how to make those beautiful circles?”
We burst out laughing! She thought he was an expert skier, but in reality, he was simply going in circles to survive.
Isn't that the way life is sometimes? You may look at someone and think she has it all together. You may want to be organized like her, have a neat home like hers, or have well behaved children like her. But the truth is that whoever you are comparing yourself to is probably going in circles, just like you are and they are doing whatever it takes not to go downhill backwards.
As you move through life today, don’t look around to see who appears to be “doing life” better than you. Just keep your eyes on Jesus. He’s the only one that has it all together…and I mean ALL.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, I am so glad I don’t have to be anyone today except who You created me to be. Help me to avoid comparing myself to other women who seem to “have it all together.” Help me live my life for an audience of One – You!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Is there someone to whom you tend to compare yourself?
If so, why do you compare yourself to her?
What do you think God would say to you about comparing yourself to someone else rather than being exactly who He has created you to be?
If you are willing to commit to not comparing yourself to anyone else, at least for one week, then click on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and say… “I’m in!”
More from the Girlfriends
This story is just one of the devotions from my book Listening to God Day by Day. In it I’ve included 100 of my favorite devotions from the past 15 years. To watch a video about the book, click here and check it out.
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Girlfriends in God
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Originally published Thursday, 29 March 2012.
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