Living Beyond Compare
“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” – Romans 9:20 NIV
photo: Raye Wortel
Have you ever listened to someone’s life story and wondered why you weren’t more like them?
It’s a dangerous trap.
We have pity for the way we are, while wishing we were like someone else.
I recently fell into this trap at the worst possible time.
It’s a hard story to tell, but for you – I’ll go there:
I sat in a crowded room where friends and family shared affectionate stories of a young man’s life.
As I listened, thoughts of comparison surfaced in my mind in almost uncontrollable waves.
I tried to shut them out, but the more I tried, the more they persisted.
Why aren’t my kids like this?
How can I make them better?
How can I be better?
Each story brought to light the differences between us.
Feeling inadequate, I started to aim my questions at God.
Why, Lord?
How is it some come to goodness early on, and the rest of us struggle a lifetime?
I was caught up in these questions for a fews days.
Then the Holy Spirit, likely tired of hearing me whine, gave me a divine smack in the face.
You and your children may struggle, but I have blessed you all with a long lifetime to get it right – him, I have already called home.
It’s true.
The young man who lived life full and beautiful, the one whose ways I wanted for my children and me, died at the small age of 17.
And there I sat, caught in a comparison trap, while a family steeped in grief, would have taken him back any way at all – just whole and alive.
Oh, the magnitude of Paul’s words: “What a wretched man I am!”
It’s hard to admit to your mean moments. There’s always a fear of reproach, but I count it as an act of humility as God continues to mold me.
And thank God He continues to work in us to be like Him!
Whether it’s a life marked by years, decades, or even a century, He gives us countless opportunities to trade in our wicked selves for one woven in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
And though we may tire of our endless fight to be an imitator of God (1 Corinthians 11:1), let’s rejoice with each breath He gives to get it right.
God’s hard words reminded me of a quote from Oswald Chambers:
“To complain over our incompetence is to accuse
God falsely of having overlooked us.”
God doesn’t overlook, He over loves.
Let’s not wait another day to measure our life against a heavenly value.
He calls us to be like Him – not someone else.
Won’t we say He alone is more than enough?
Do you have a comparison story? Email me if you’d like to share.
to living beyond compare,
Raye