The comparison trap
Sometimes we look at what someone else has built, what someone else has been given, where someone else has been placed, and we begin to compare our own life against theirs. Peter did it too. After Jesus had restored him and given him his calling, Peter looked over his shoulder at John and asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me,” (John 21:21-22, NIV). Theodore Roosevelt once observed that “comparison is the thief of joy.” He was right, but Jesus goes [...]
When the tank is empty
There are seasons when the demands of life simply outpace our ability to meet them. Paul knew something about this. Writing from prison, he said: “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want,” (Philippians 4:11-12, NIV). Notice that word learned. Contentment in all things wasn’t something that came naturally to Paul. It was something he [...]
Waiting on the Lord
Have you ever been in a season where you felt stuck? Not because of anything you did wrong, but simply because nothing seemed to be moving forward, no matter how hard you pushed. It can be hard to know what to do with that feeling. We are wired to get things done. Waiting doesn’t come naturally, and sometimes it can feel like we have been forgotten. But waiting is baked into the Christian life. Isaiah says: “[T]hose who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow [...]
