May 20, 2021
The Danger of Looking Through the Lens of Comparison
Kelly Balarie
Today’s Truth
"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV).
Friend to Friend
Throwing caution to the wind, our family decided to go to an amusement park this past weekend. As we headed in, they did a temperature check. All good.
The lines were long on some of the rides. As I waited in one line to go on a bus that would lift me up and down with other kids, I observed a family ahead of us.
The boy's hair was perfectly done. The girl's braids were tightly tied together with bows. Their clothes were ironed and perfect. The moms face looked immaculate. There was no flaw with this crew...
"They must always dress like the perfect family," I thought. "Everywhere they go, they look amazing. They only wear clothes that are brand new and they have it all together."
Standing there I felt like trash next to this woman, in my clunky sneakers and my wind-thrashed hair. Unable to control myself for a moment, my voice chimed up from within me. I started to speak to the woman.
I said, "You all are the picture of a perfect family. You must always dress amazingly."
The mom replied, "Oh no, I am in workout pants most days." The son said, "and I am so uncomfortable in this belt; I can't wait to get it off." Apparently, they just had family pictures taken with a professional photographer right before coming to the park.
Things are not always what they seem. Our inner stories give us an outer snapshot of what we figure is truth. But our truth doesn’t always equal truth. For we cannot see behind the walls of another person’s life.
We see social media pictures of people out having fun and think we're the only one watching movies at home.
We see the woman with the perfect Christmas tree by the fireplace and figure her family must always be at peace.
We see those with close family and think they have it made; that their life is bliss.
Suddenly, our world is trash and everyone else has it better. However, things are not what they seem. Usually, the inner stories we concoct in our heads are half-truths, if not outright lies.
This is why Philippians 4:8 tells us to "Fix your thoughts on what is true. . ."
When we lay down what we figure is true, we can more easily fix our mind on what is factually true.
"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV).
We cannot look two places at once.
Who are you looking at? How is this impacting your relationships? What would it look like to begin focusing on truth and on Jesus?
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, help me keep my eyes on You, the Author and the Perfecter of my faith. Only by looking at You can I see where I am going. Only by aligning with truth, can I live honestly.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Do you size up other women?
Why do you compare yourself to other women?
What do you think God would say to you about that?
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© 2021 by Kelly Balarie. All rights reserved.
Originally published Thursday, 20 May 2021.
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