The other

Do you ever find yourself observing someone else's life and say to yourself, "Wow, I wish I was like them"? One of my main struggles lately is I know my relationship with God is dwindling. I'm not involved with any campus ministry nor do I make a big effort Sunday mornings to step out of my ever so comfy bed. However, for Lent I decided that I was going to make a bigger effort at journaling on top of the Bible reading I do every night. So far so good, but I kick myself knowing there is more I can do such as church, a bible study, CRU, etc...

There have been a few stories I have come across about families and their life on how God has helped them during tough times. Families in church amaze me in their hard work of dressing their four children and being determined to make it to church at least 5 minutes before starting time! "Captivating" was an incredible book I read that helped me dig deep into my relationship with God due to the real-life experiences of the author. But in all the cases above, I long for the strong faith these people have and how much more beautiful they are because of their passion for the Lord. Because I don't know these people first-hand, I have created an image of perfection. I believe we all have some sort of desire somewhere in us to be as "perfect" as someone else whose life seems so wonderful. I also believe that is one of our more common sins as humans.

What runs through my mind is that all of these people are better Christians than I am and because of that, their life will play out so smoothly. WRONG. These people suffer pain from losing a loved one, just like I do. These people make judgments about others, just like I do. These people say, "Why God?" just like I do. These people are sinners, just like I am.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:8

As I sit here indulging in Teddy Grahams and wishing I had a 24 inch waist like my mother did in high school just so I can fit into her old prom dress for a special event coming up, I know we are all God's children and when we leave this blessed earth he is not going to say, "Ooh, sorry, no Heaven for you. You had one too many Teddy Grahams."

God made us all unique and we're all beautiful in His eyes, so instead of hoping to be as "great of Christians" as someone else, concentrate on being like Jesus. As much as I want to be like some of those influential people in my life, I am thankful for the life God has given me and I now understand that no one person is better than the next because we all have the same Creator, the same unconditional love, we all are sinners, and we all have a Father in Heaven who picks us up when we fall.