Don't Do It...Don't Compare...You Are Made To Shine

 Apple Pie or Peach Cobbler? Which one is better? What would you choose?

I think about God. And me. And you. How He made US and how often I have walked wounded because I have allowed myself to be on the losing end of comparison. The problem was really my issue of inferiority. Of believing I was less than (pick any person deemed greater than me by me). This temptation and struggle never goes away... when I see someome 'sparklier' than me. One who seems more star-like. If I compare myself to someone like Beth Moore who (yes, I sadly have), who, even though she is older than I, is more influential, cuter, thinner, bolder...I can feel quite the opposite of what I see her to be. (Translate: ugly, fat and wimpy~a sad deduction indeed!)

With my husband in construction, I have been in bathrooms on construction jobsites where there was no custodian. And because I had to go...bad enough to sit in the filth of the grease, grime (and I dare not think of what else) on the toilet, I esteemed very highly all janitors who keep potties clean for my hiney as much as I value the teaching of Beth Moore for my soul.

How would we compare a soul-nourisher, to a germ-remover? {I rest my case} How can we compare one of God's girls to another. Wouldn't our world be bland if we all had the same gifts, interests and all looked the same?

Often we feel like we are less-than because our job, or our life isn't as 'sparkly' as someone else's. Our problem is we look at the sparkle of the celebrity rather than the sparkle of the faithful. Not to pick on Beth Moore, she is both a celebrity and faithful. Which is worth celebrating for sure. Not many can manage that load well. God has enabled her and it is a beautiful thing. But imagine our world without mechanics who get greasy caring for our car. Or farmers who get stinky gathering our dairy. Or janitors who clean the inside of the potties. Or how about the manufacturers of jets, or the designers of tall buildings? Or...the changers of diapers. A very significant task indeed!

One is a peach. One is an apple. Can one compare fairly? Not. At. All. So next time you feel the inferiority lies imposing, weighing on you, look away, look up. Look around at the things that would fall apart if your hands didn't touch them. How many 'gardens' in your care would be weedy or drought-stricken if you didn't tend them? Remember that whatever is in our tiny lunch sack that we offer to Jesus gets multiplied. When he touches our small task- tended, it becomes nourishing life for those in our care. Those in our neighborhood. In our community...in our home.

You. You are a love-gift. You are a blessing. Yes you. Marvel at the wonder that God made you to be you. Beautiful. And then thank Him that all the seemingly insignificant tasks really do have eternal significance when done with Him in mind. Celebrate the gift of being you. Comparison DIM-inishes your sparkle. So don't do it! Shine on Sister!