So there was no GloryStory last week. You noticed… and I’m grateful.
I could make a lot of excuses for why I didn’t write. The unending rain certainly dampened my spirits { no pun intended }, but there is actually a far more truthful reason and sometimes it’s best to just come clean.
I read and follow many bloggers and Instagrammers. Their blogs are super cute. Their writing is witty and relevant. And the pictures… oh, the perfection. And if I’m not careful, I find myself trapped in comparison and beaten down by the beautiful. And surely this is not all in my imagination because Twitter said so in their advertisement. What are all the beautiful people up to?
Well surely that leaves me out, right?
Because this is the real me.
My BFF managed to capture this picture on the day of my 49th birthday. She also managed to post it on Facebook for all the world to see… which at the time did not seem the least bit funny… especially on your 49th birthday.
It’s not hard to see the contrast…
and it’s not hard to feel it either.
Anybody?
I could blame the comparison trap on the fact that I’m staring almost half a century square in the eyes, but honestly, I don’t think age matters much at all because I know 11 and 12 year old girls who get trapped… and 50-something year old men… and 80-something year old women. And probably the person reading this now… right?
So I want to thank my BFF for showing y’all the real me. Perfectly imperfect and absolutely not worth comparison. I wish she had wandered on in my house and taken a few pictures there, too. And if she was able to somehow capture pictures of my marriage, my parenting, my ministry, my friendships, my fill-in-the-blank… you’d see it there, too. All perfectly imperfect and absolutely not worth comparison.
Because here’s the truth: Jesus is the only perfect one. He is the ultimate example. He is the only one worthy of our comparison. He should be our standard. He should be the one we try to emulate. He should be the one we measure by.
And if that’s not enough, can I remind you { and me! } of one more thing? Every single one of our imperfections is a platform… an opportunity to put God center-stage and to shine the spotlight on His love and grace. If we’re perfect, that can’t happen.
My prayer for all of us is that we avoid the comparison trap and refuse to play the perfection game. What will all the beautiful people be up to instead? Knowing Him and making Him known!
