Oof. I saw this one today, and boy, did it hit home. In this socially connected world, there is so much comparison. Are you on the most current fad diet that is mentioned in every ad on Facebook? You mean you don't own that expensive make-up being pushed by that celebrity? *Gasp* Well, maybe if you put your kids in daycare, you could get a job, too, so you could go on a vacation every year.
Does it get to everyone else? Because it gets to me. I am by nature a competitive person. I don't like to "lose," and so I struggle all the time with coveting thy neighbor's whatever because of the status symbol that comes with it. I even find myself comparing my spirituality with those further along in their journey who pray better than me or who seem to know God more than I do. You know the ones I mean? The people who radiate Christ's joy and love. In the words of Tina Fey, "I want to go to there."
But this quote stopped me in my tracks. It reminded me in a very hit-yourself-over-the-head obvious way of what my calling is as a Christian and a Catholic. Jesus never called us to be like others. He called us to be like Him. John 15:12 says, "My commandment is this: love one another as I have loved you." He didn't say, "Love one another sometimes" or "Love one another, but only when you have more stuff than they do." He commands us to love like Him - unconditionally and without reservations.
After that reminder, I had another big discovery. Comparisons do not promote love. A radical thought, I know, but gosh, did I need to understand that today. I'm watching lots of my friends going on vacations or getting new clothes or things for their kids, and I'm over here like, "I'm about to lose my income because I decided not to go back to school this year, but boo-hoo me because I can't do all the things." Where is the love in that line of thinking? It ain't there, people. It ain't there. So I'm going to work on retraining my brain to be happy for others instead, to take my pity party to the curb and leave it there with the garbage. I do want to be like those people, but there are lots of other things that God is doing in my life. I'm learning to recognize what they are and to praise God for them.
As for those in my life whose faith is my goal, I'm now asking how I can be more like them instead of just complaining that I'm not. In that way, my heart is still open as I figure out how to emulate instead of envy. I had a perfect example placed in my lap last night as I read my bible. (Side note: This bible is AMAZING and is also linked under My Favorite Things. I'd be happy to talk more about it with anyone who is interested!) My prayer group is going through the stories of the women in the bible, which this bible lays out in beautiful, easy-to-follow devotions. This week's story was about Anna. Check out her full story in Luke 2:22-38. The bottom line with Anna is that she was widowed for most of her life, which in those times made her one of the lowest in society. But she never left the temple. She fasted and prayed every day to feel God's presence. When Jesus was presented in the temple, guess who was there?! God chose to reveal himself to one of the lowliest members of society, and Anna's prayers were answered.
Now, you're probably going, "Um, I don't see what the big deal here is, Brigid. Obviously, if you want a deeper relationship with God, you have to pray more." Yeah well, I'm slow, okay? It's easy to say and so very hard to do, but between the devotional and the quote, God has made it very apparent to me this week what I need to do.
Challenge accepted, God. Let's be best friends.
Comments