A few years back I was chatting with several women—old friends and new. We got to talking about friendship and many of the women turned to me and exclaimed how good I am at encouraging others. I was stunned.
If only they could see inside my head. There is a dark thing that hides at the fringes of my faith. I can feel it there, lurking in the shadows, waiting. It’s waiting for the unkind word from someone I work with, attend church with, or raise children with. It’s waiting for the mom that is more organized, more disciplined, more engaged than I am. It’s waiting for the job, the opportunity, the invitation that is more glamorous, desirable, interesting than my current life right now.
And in that moment, it begins to whisper in my ear: Unfair. Poor you. You deserve more. More often than I care to admit, I have allowed the dark thing to speak petty words on my behalf. It’s never pretty.
But sometimes I remember what a lie sounds like. I recognize it by how it always puts me at the center of an equation and everyone else in the red. On those occasions, I address it: “Liar,” I say. “Cheat!” With each word, the thing deflates before my eyes until I am free.
Jeremiah 1:5 reminds me that, before I was even born, I was known and entrusted with a calling on my life. I realize, once again, that to compare myself and my calling to anyone else is to minimize us both.
Lisa-Jo Baker is the bestselling author of Never Unfriended and the community manager for (in)courage. Connect with her at @lisajobaker. Portions of these devotions have been excerpted or adapted from Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding and Keeping Lasting Friendship © Lisa-Jo Baker (B&H Publishing Group, 2017). Used by permission, all rights reserved. www.neverunfriended.com.
