Pastor's Message, November 2008

Most of us are constantly in the process of comparing ourselves and our family to other people and other families. We see their good points or how well things seem to be going for them and we become envious. It is easy to conclude that our happiness and our contentment can only occur if we have what they have.

In an old comedy routine, a restaurant customer points to another diner and says to the waiter, “I’ll have what he’s having.” The waiter immediately takes the half-eaten food from the other diner and gives it to him.

I do not think we would find that very satisfying. What we see at a distance in other people’s lives often looks a lot different up close. Each of us has out own unique experience in our families and with the rest of the world. Even different members in the same family who have experiences the same events will have different interpretations and feelings about what happened.

Our lives are unique and special before God. Learn from what you see, grow from what you experience because God has given you a special place in the world. Add to that a touch of forgiveness and the resolve that happiness is not about being like other people, but knowing that you are loved and that your presence in the world is very important.

Today, step closer to the Lord and remember, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” (Phil 4:13)

show