“If you could have any ‘super-power’ what would it be?”
That was the ice-breaker question posed at a women’s gathering I attended. Peals of laughter could be heard from different small groups around the room as women shared a desire for everything from a “Bewitched” nose twitch to clean their kids’ mess, to a cloaking devise, to the ability to be “beamed up” out of uncomfortable situations.
It’s a fun question to think about, but unfortunately we often seriously compare ourselves to others and think “Oh…I wish I had THAT ‘super-power’!” The gifts and talents others have can seem so “SUPERior” in light of our own that can feel so ordinary.
There are two reasons comparison is so dangerous. When we compare, the result is either pride or despair. Neither are pleasing to God, right?
As women, I think we’re more prone to the despair end of the spectrum. Satan’s kryptonite seems to be that diabolical little word “as”.
He whispers,
“Not as pretty as…”
Not as good a mom as…”
“Not as popular as…”
“Not as smart as…”
Recently, my small group did a book study, and there is one line from Genesis 3:11 that we have gotten in the habit of repeating to one another when we feel discouraged or “less than”,
This is from Genesis 3: 9-11 when God is talking to Adam:
But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?
God knows HE didn’t tell Adam he was naked.
Is the message you’re hearing really from God? Or is it from someone else?
After all, God is the One who said you are fearfully and wonderfully made, the One who said He has created good plans in advance for you to do, the One who said He has called you by name, you are His – His chosen, His beloved, the one He sings over…
So today, instead of comparing, let’s remember this…
