27 Jul Comparison: Don’t Let it Burst Your Beach Ball
It was a surreal, supernatural experience amidst the most ordinary of circumstances.
I was in a meeting where many different people were telling about outstanding aspects of their past work year. And so guess what was going through my mind? Thoughts of comparison…thoughts of competing: “Well, what he’s done is not all THAT great.” Or, “She probably has marriage problems with all that work she’s been excelling at.” etc.etc.etc.
The proverbial devil was on one of my shoulders, shouting into my ear.
But a much stronger voice was whispering into my other ear, because I’d been thinking with God a lot about this area: How one reason that we compare is that we aren’t convinced that we each have tremendous inestimable value, apart from anything we do. Each person is like a brilliant priceless diamond, with nothing adding or taking away from its worth.
Each of these people talking was immensely valuable. And so was I. Therefore I didn’t have to pull them down mentally, or boost myself up. I could be very happy for them and for myself, basking in how God made us each with great, unwavering value and worth.
So what was surreal and supernatural about this experience?
Well, in that meeting, when I was proactively keeping the truth at the front of my mind, I was floating and happy, like a beach ball, buoyant on the water.
But then, when the comparing/competing thoughts tried to take over, I felt like my fully-inflated joy started to sink, like my beach ball had been stabbed and was going under.
Then miraculously, as soon as I would turn my mind back to God’s perspective, I was re-inflated with peaceful well-being. This felt surreal and supernatural, the results were so immediate and life-giving.
There is great power in believing a lie, which robs our joy, but greater power in believing the truth, which inflates us with life and peace.
I’ll choose the buoyant beach ball existence any day, rejoicing in the beauty of each diamond, celebrating how it sparkles and shines.