Today I want to discuss a topic in which I have been struggling and I know other mamas, for that matter, women struggle with on a daily basis. Now if this does not pertain to you and you have this topic mastered, please comment and let me know how to arrive as well! :)
It's an ugly word.... To me, it's one of the worst words around. Satan uses it in a mighty way and often times prevails...
Comparison....
How many times a day do we compare ourselves to other women? How often do we look around and feel inadequate?
My house is a mess! How does she have everything so clean and right in it's place?!
How does she have time to make such creative and loving dinners? I barely have time for Hamburger Helper!
She is so skinny and put together! I could be a before picture of a Jenny Craig ad!
Goodness, here she goes again with yet another talent! I haven't even mastered one!!
And then, there come the even more dangerous comparisons...
Her children are so perfect! Good grades. Good at sports! Well liked! Oh my and so well behaved! I need to get home and whip mine into shape!
Her husband is so good looking and pays so much attention to her! Wish mine could be on a I Can't Believe It's Not Butter commercial as well!
There are so many comparisons out there and we waste so much energy comparing!
Do you know that when compare ourselves to others and try to be like others, we are actually robbing the Lord of one of his servants?
We are all made in His image...
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." - Genesis 1:27
God did not make us in the image of Karen the good cook down the street. He made us in His image. An image that is perfect. Perfect for God's plan....
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11
The body of Christ is made of many different parts with different functions and purposes. When we try to imitate another, we are not maintaining our function and instead imitating another's and our function is then missed out on.
Take our bodies for example... What if our nose decided it wanting to be an ear instead of a nose? We'll call nose, Ned... Well Ned the Nose didn't quite think he was good at being a nose. He's been looking over at Ernie the Ear for a bit and thought, "Wow! Ernie is so good at being an ear! I want to be like Ernie the Ear instead of like me, Ned the Nasty No good Nose!"
We'd now have three ears and not one nose! The body would not work in the fluidity that God had programmed it and made it to be work in. Much like the body of Christ and His plan for the world would not be working as it should if we decide our function isn't good enough and try to be like someone else.
"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." - Romans 12:4 -5
"All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." - I Corinthians 12:11-12
My challenge for you over the weekend is to find yourself. Make a list of things that you like about yourself and things you'd like to improve on. Monday I'll be back with my list and how I am trying to love myself instead of trying to make me into Karen the Good Cook down the court! :)
