Sometimes we can get off track. Maybe I should say, sometimes I get off track. But if you are anything like me, it doesn’t take much to get you sideways. Social media, sporting events, our kids’ classrooms, work, church, and even the grocery store can be environments where we look around us and in one way or another can feel like we don’t measure up.
It happens.
It happens to me.
It happens to you.
And I promise it is happening to your kids.
How does it happen so easily?
What can we do about it?
The Comparison Game is brutal and is the source of so much unhealth in our lives and in our kids’ lives. But there is something we can do about it! Maybe your kids are right in the middle of this, and you want God to just snap His finger and fill your babes with the overwhelming sense of who He says they are. When that doesn’t happen, see it as an opportunity to teach your kids something that will stay with them their whole lives.
I have two simple truths for you and your kiddo when the Comparison game comes to town.
Truth #1: You Are His
Set some time aside for you and your kid. Just the two of you. Print off the 40 I Ams before you go. Head out to grab an ice cream or dinner or for a walk around the park. Talk through how you have struggled with comparison. Acknowledge that it happens in your life, too. And that you know how easy it can be to fall into the trap. You know how it feels. Acknowledge how they feel. Then share the 40 I Ams with them. Read through the statements. Pick one out specifically for you and one specifically for them. Commit to praying that statement over their life this week. The statements are there to remind us of who we are in Him. Hold your kid’s hand and remind them of how much you love them, and that God loves them even more than you do!
Truth #2: You Need Community
Another way to win when it comes to the comparison game is to lean on the people that remind me of who God says I am. I call them my call level 10 friends. We talk about the weather and our favorite sports teams-but our conversations go much deeper than that! These are the people that fill your soul up and when we are finished visiting, I feel recharged and ready for whatever comes my way! These relationships are nurtured over time-so if you don’t have any of these in your life, now is a great time to start! Your kids will learn so much from you as they watch you foster these types of relationships. When I think about the things Mika and I modeled for our kids, knowing they were looking on as we were intentional about true relationships always makes my heart smile.
So, this week, can you spend some time focusing on these two truths? I pray that you do! And I would love to hear about it! Let me know about it! Your comments may just be what someone else needs to hear!