I spoke to a women's group recently about a troubling issue, the Comparison Trap. The Comparison Trap is a dilemma that effects far more women than men.
No woman is immune.
Take a close look at the buttons. Do you see the white shirt button, the plain and simple button at 4 o'clock? What about the five green glass buttons still on their card? I have a variety of buttons - actually I have thousands - tens of thousands - but the point is this...If you look at the buttons and compare them by your definition of beauty, my favorite button might not make the cut. And, if you look at the buttons and keep those you deem pretty and toss the rest - my white shirt with the missing button...it will stay that way. Each button has a purpose, some are only for display, others will be used every day, and still others will require delicate care. You and I can't compare the buttons and decide their value; we didn't create them. We may like some more than others, but we can't discount the value of those we don't like.
When I first got married, I was determined to be the best farm wife ever! I didn't know how to cook, but I was going to learn how to put a meal for ten together and transport it to the field. I didn't know how to drive a grain truck, but I made up my mind that I could do that, too.
As a little girl, I had seen my future mother-in-law drive a grain truck by our house during harvest. I loved to run to the edge of the yard and wave at her - she was the only woman driving a grain truck by our place. She always smiled and waved back. Years later, when my husband, Marlin and I were married, I started a competition with my mother-in-law, she just didn't know about it. It wasn't enough that I be a good wife or a more specifically a good farm wife - I wanted to be better than she was.
Later, I realized that this was foolishness. First of all, she was a farmer's daughter and had a few years head start on me. Secondly, our personalities are very different: she's an introvert and I'm not. Eventually, I realized that God was asking me to be the best me I could possibly be. He didn't need another Wanda Fuhrman, he already had one.
Galatians 6:4 says, "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else."
I was trying so hard to be someone I wasn't create to be; when I learned to be the best me, it made all the difference in the world.
P.S. I now drive a Peterbilt! And if you don't believe me, I'll take you for a ride!
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