It's A Thief

  I detest the comparison game, but I find myself playing it an awful lot. I feel like in college there's this unspoken competition: who has the hardest major. And on top of that: who has the hardest major on top of the hardest job. The sad thing is, I find myself playing that game a lot but get really annoyed when other people try to play along... because obviously my major is the hardest. The thing I'm trying to remind myself is that everyone has it hard, we're just all dealing with different kinds of hard. Physics is hard. But, practicing 12 hours a week is hard, too. And practicing 12 hours a week doesn't make physics any less hard, and vice versa. Working while in college is hard, and I give mad props to anyone working 10 hours a week all the way up to 40+. But doing "just" college is hard, too. And neither one takes away from the hardness of the other.

I fall victim to this vicious game way too often. I see my schedule online with a list of 11 classes I'm registered for, I look at my required practice hours, and the two Bible studies I'm signed up for and I think, "No one knows a busy schedule like a music major! I have it really hard! Psh, I wish I could be someone who's only signed up for 5 classes! That's so easy! If I had 5 classes of course I could work long hours during the week!" This is so ridiculous and wrong of me, and it only ends in me being bitter. Being bitter takes a lot of energy, a lot of energy that could be put towards bettering myself. A lot of energy that could otherwise be used to bless people, and bless the Creator. 

I think I, and probably a lot of people, need to get to that middle ground. Where we're aware that we do have it hard, but so does everyone else. Where we can appreciate what other people do, instead of scrutinizing how easy their lives are. Comparison destroys. 

"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job week done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else." -Galatians 6:4  

I will say this... my home is better than anyone else's. That's not comparison, that's simple fact. Just look at that sunset.