Comparison
Have you ever heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover?” Yet so often we do this with people we meet. It’s how our brains naturally work. We sum up situations or people and place them in a category where, in our mind, we think they should go. Recently I had to have an MRI. If you have ever had an MRI you know the machine is very loud, with rhythmic clicking. An MRI takes time and during that time you have to be still. The reason you must be still is so the machine can take very small slices of whatever it is ordered for. If you move at all the entire processes has to be restarted as the images will be blurry creating a picture that is not accurate. This is much like our lives. No matter how fast we try to push through life, some things take time. Some require us to be still and wait so we get the full picture. If we take social media for instance. I can’t tell you how many times a week I find myself scrolling through thinking, that looks fun, I wish I could go there, or I wish I had this or could do that. While I know social media has allowed people to advertise and market, it can easily be a place that cultivates discontentment. All too often the enemy of comparison begins to happen. We see a “perfect” picture of something and assume that the person or thing in the photo has that life all the time. If we only take the snapshot or slice rather than knowing the full story, you may get the wrong image. Friends, I am here to tell you that rarely is anyone’s life without struggles. Assuming that someone is void of any insecurities, heart aches or struggles is not only inaccurate but can also cause the wounds this person may have to go deeper. You see when we categorize a person or a situation, we are creating something it is not.
Let’s look at Esther. Her mother and father had died at a young age and she was raised by her Uncle Mordecai. They were both Jews during the time of King Xerxes. The King ruled over 127 provinces, stretching from India to Cush (modern Egypt and much of the Sudan). He was having banquet for 180 days to display his wealth, so not a humble guy. At one point the King summoned his Queen and she would not come. This led to her getting banished and King Xerxes began to search for a new Queen. This is where Esther comes in. She was taken to the king’s palace and immediately found favor with Hegai. She was given seven maids and moved into the best place in harem. If we pause here and pretend social media existed, Esther could have posted selfies of her and her maids, bragging about how’s she’s so “liked,” creating a false appearance. Looking at the post we may think “if only they had it that good.” When in reality she was being held there to possibly be used and “given back” but if she’s “lucky” would get chosen by a king that did not seem so great. Fast forward in the story we find that God had chosen Esther to be the one Jew that saved all the Jews from Haman’s plot to destroy them. This is really a remarkable story. While looking from the outside, we see this as a love story that maybe we wish we had. But in reality, her life was in the hands of the King. Let’s not forget the tremendous amount of fear, uncertainty, and lonely times that Esther probably had. She would not have made it through if it would not have been for the grace and mercy of the Lord.
Joseph is another example in the bible that if we took small slices from his life, we may think one of two things. He’s really got it bad or he’s really moving up, either way you would miss the whole story of how God allows each of us to go through trials to shape us. I have said that before and it is so crucial to remember. Friends, our purpose here is not to bring happiness to ourselves but rather to bring glory to God. To share his goodness and love to all who are willing to hear.
This week as Easter approaches let’s try to be intentional to view the whole picture rather than taking small slices of situations or even someone’s life. I’m going to challenge you to say something uplifting to at least 3 people a day that you come in contact with. You will never know how a kind word can affect someone.
Heavenly Father, we love you. Help us not to judge others so quickly. Change our minds and create in us a desire to slow down and be intentional about our relationships. You call us to love one another. Help us to see areas that we can do this. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.