Comparitively Speaking...

Occasionally I get in these reflective moods...ok, these happen fairly regularly. Since finals are over and I'm in this waiting period between the end of school and my mission trip to Europe on Monday I've had more time than usual to think and reflect. Sometimes reflecting is really good and other times (for me at least) it can easily segway into comparing my life to others. Instead of looking at my life and thinking "man, God has really blessed me and I want to work on my flaws to be more pleasing to God!" it becomes, "My life is good...but it would be better if I had a boyfriend that really cared for me, like so and so has." Then discontentment sets in and you end up just standing in the shower with the hot water running on you (oh come on, I know you do most of your thinking in the shower! Who doesn't?) feeling blah. For me this just start the comparison train, "maybe if I was more kind like so and so," or "blank has such a better singer than me, no wonder everyone loves her," and it goes on and on and on. If it continues it can quickly become easy to blame God, "you know God if I was more whatever I would be such a better Christian." At this point its time to hit the breaks, HARD!! If it ever becomes a blame game its seriously time to stop. Of course, it shouldn't begin in the first place, which is my point. Yes, we all have dreams and sometimes it's really hard to see other people getting things that you want while you either have to wait or just deal with the fact that that may not be the plan for your life. Yes, I said deal with hit. You can cry, pitch a fit, yell but sometimes God says "no," to you and "yes" to someone else and you're just going to have to get over it, and don't even start the comparison game. Now when it comes to faults in yourself that you wish weren't there and you wish you had the quality someone elses possesses, well that's a tricky thing. There is nothing wrong, and everything right with seeing a quality in some else and thinking, "Man, that is a great quality," then spending time praying about asking God to grant you that quality and beginning to work to possess that quality. What's not cool is the, "Gosh, I wish I was like that and had that quality," then proceeding to feel badly about yourself and your short coming but not doing anything about it. If you want to change you can but its by the grace of God and only if you really want it. My point in all of this is to remind you (and me. Believe me, this is to myself more than anyone) that God made you the way you are, this includes the circumstances you are in. Also, that when God says no to find contentment in that situation and continue to praise God for gifts. Comparison is truly the death of contentment and it's very easy to fall into the trap. If anything remember the way that Veggie Tales used to end (maybe it still does? Really not sure...) God made you special and he loves you very much! Take great joy in that!