Suffering By Comparison
My wife and I had to take our four year old, Mitch, to the bowling alley the other day. He was so excited! You should have seen him in those little bowling shoes with the velcro straps, and his six pound bowling ball.
He couldn’t hold the ball with just his fingers, but he would put his fingers in the appropriate holes and lift the bowling ball with both hands and heave it down the lane. I have a photograph of his first spare; he is jumping in the air. He was so thrilled, he could hardly contain himself.
During the game he made two spares and one strike, and at one point was even beating me! When his ball would knock down the bowling pins he would turn around, throw his hands in the air and say something like, “I’m good!”
What age is it that we stop complimenting ourselves? When is it that we develop this idea that we can’t admit that we are good at anything?
I was bowling a great game until some business men came in to bowl during their lunch hour. These guys played all the time, and even though I knew that I wasn’t as good as they were my attitude about how I was doing began to chang.
Suddenly I wasn’t doing well enough, and I wanted to be doing better. If one of those men bowled a strike and I bowled a strike, I would look at the ball speed and compare who threw theirs faster. I didn’t even know these men! I wasn’t even speaking to them, but for some reason I began to compare myself to them.
Have you noticed when you begin to compare yourself to someone else you are no longer happy with what you have? Suppose you bought a used car in mint condition; you loved it and couldn’t wait to show it off at work. But, upon arriving at work the next day someone else is there showing off their brand new, top of the line vehicle. Suddenly you are not as excited about your purchase; you still like it, but it has lost some of its luster.
When we compare ourselves to others we always suffer by comparison. It doesn’t matter if we won that round of comparing or not, we still suffer! It is the simple fact that we are doing it that determines it. Even if you win this round, you will eventually lose one.
When we compare ourselves to others we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and depression. We begin to look at the world through distorted glasses; we fail to recognize the wonderful traits God has given us and only focus on what we don’t have.
You are an awesome person! You are “fearfully and wonderfully made!” (Psalm 139:14) You have purpose and meaning! (Psalm 138:8) You have been given talents to be used! (Matthew 25:14-30)
It’s time we stop comparing ourselves to others and realize who we really are! Only then will we begin to discover our true potential!
Johnny Walker is a Christian Counselor and the founder of Family Works Counseling. You can reach him at (770) 456-5547
He couldn’t hold the ball with just his fingers, but he would put his fingers in the appropriate holes and lift the bowling ball with both hands and heave it down the lane. I have a photograph of his first spare; he is jumping in the air. He was so thrilled, he could hardly contain himself.
During the game he made two spares and one strike, and at one point was even beating me! When his ball would knock down the bowling pins he would turn around, throw his hands in the air and say something like, “I’m good!”
What age is it that we stop complimenting ourselves? When is it that we develop this idea that we can’t admit that we are good at anything?
I was bowling a great game until some business men came in to bowl during their lunch hour. These guys played all the time, and even though I knew that I wasn’t as good as they were my attitude about how I was doing began to chang.
Suddenly I wasn’t doing well enough, and I wanted to be doing better. If one of those men bowled a strike and I bowled a strike, I would look at the ball speed and compare who threw theirs faster. I didn’t even know these men! I wasn’t even speaking to them, but for some reason I began to compare myself to them.
Have you noticed when you begin to compare yourself to someone else you are no longer happy with what you have? Suppose you bought a used car in mint condition; you loved it and couldn’t wait to show it off at work. But, upon arriving at work the next day someone else is there showing off their brand new, top of the line vehicle. Suddenly you are not as excited about your purchase; you still like it, but it has lost some of its luster.
When we compare ourselves to others we always suffer by comparison. It doesn’t matter if we won that round of comparing or not, we still suffer! It is the simple fact that we are doing it that determines it. Even if you win this round, you will eventually lose one.
When we compare ourselves to others we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and depression. We begin to look at the world through distorted glasses; we fail to recognize the wonderful traits God has given us and only focus on what we don’t have.
You are an awesome person! You are “fearfully and wonderfully made!” (Psalm 139:14) You have purpose and meaning! (Psalm 138:8) You have been given talents to be used! (Matthew 25:14-30)
It’s time we stop comparing ourselves to others and realize who we really are! Only then will we begin to discover our true potential!
Johnny Walker is a Christian Counselor and the founder of Family Works Counseling. You can reach him at (770) 456-5547
posted by Johnny Walker at 10:06 PM
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