Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Comparison Trap Theme of the Week: Green-Eyed Monster Thursday, July 15, 2004
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Men of IntegrityJuly/August 2004Comparison TrapTheme of the Week: Green-Eyed MonsterThursday, July 1574
Key Bible Verse: Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else (Galatians 6:4, NIV). Bonus Reading:Genesis 37:2—24
"Several years ago, I encountered a family in which the father played favorites with his children. His son Chris excelled in several sports. Dave, on the other hand, leaned toward the arts and played in the school orchestra.
In his mid-teens, Dave concluded that his father—a huge sports fan—favored Chris over himself. Comparing himself to his brother, he blew Chris's qualities and achievements way out of proportion, ascribing to him a towering supremacy. And he lost sight of his own strengths.
Dave became increasingly cynical and jealous, which festered into bitterness toward Chris, and toward himself for not shining as brightly. This precipitated endless power struggles between them, a sibling rivalry that carried right over into adulthood.
To counter this, I helped Dave identify and place value on his God-given qualities and areas of success. He wrote a list of them in a notebook and reviewed them daily. I also tried to help him see the value of his interest in and talent for the arts. This helped Dave crawl out of his envy trap and begin to see himself as God does.
—James Hilt in Illinois
My Response: How can focusing on my God-given strengths move me beyond envy?
Thought to Apply: Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own.
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