Reason #292
You never know what people have been through. From the outside looking in, you can’t ever be so sure. Maybe it looks like they have it together, and maybe they do. From their appearance, their home, their job, their family, you would never be able to tell. Some of us prefer to keep it that way, too. Keep people guessing. Because is your business really any of their business? Usually not. And so we mind our own business hoping that people won’t ever be able to tell.
I compare. It’s detrimental to one’s mental health to do such a thing, but I’m guilty of it. I once heard a statement that said,“When you compare yourself to someone else, you’re comparing your insides with their outsides.”This is true, and we don’t do much of a service to ourselves by comparing in such a manner. And really, if you think about it, it’s like comparing apples with oranges. They’ll never been the same because they are two different things. They’ll never look the same, taste the same, be used for the same purpose because they aren’t the same. Apples will never make orange juice and oranges will never make apple pies. We aren’t the same either. But we try. We try to be the same, we try to be like everyone else. And maybe, from the outside, it appears that way to others. But deep down, we know. We see the difference, and we feel like we’re the only apple in the bag of oranges. An unfair comparison. So I’ve spent time comparing myself to others. Maybe it’s because I’m a girl, maybe it’s because of the society we live in, but I don’t think I’m the only one who does this. And as I compared, I got more and more upset. But the thing is, no one knew and in fact, most people would never even guess. From the outside, looking at me, at my home, at my family, at the tangible blessings God has poured out on me, no one would have the slightest idea. And so I felt like I was doing a really good job of minding my own business and just letting others think what they wanted. But is that really fair, either? Is it fair to pretend to be an orange when you’re not? Is it fair to let others believe that about you when it’s not really who you are? Because I think if you are going to compare, which I wouldn’t recommend doing in the first place, it’s only fair to compare like things. Apples to apples.
My mom always has words of wisdom to share with me. Everyone should be so fortunate to have a wise mentor in their life, and she is mine. She always knows how to encourage me. She knows just what to say to lift my spirits and shift my perspective. So I whined to her about being an apple this weekend (metaphorically speaking). I felt really sorry for myself, too. I just want to be an orange. People assume I’m an orange anyway, so I don’t like when they discover I’m really an apple. And the comparison begins. I feel exposed, an outsider. An apple who tried to sneak her way into the orange bag hoping they wouldn’t notice and she could somehow morph into one of them. But I’m not and I’ll never be. I’m not made of the same thing, I don’t look the same, and I’m being used for a totally different purpose. I can’t ever be an orange. See the frustration there? So my mom, sweet and wise and loving, said, “Brittnye, our scars are not things to be ashamed of and hide. Our scars are visible proof of our God. Marks of our Healer.”
So I’m an apple. And I feel it’s only fair for other people to know the truth in that. An apple who was given an assigned task and is being used for a particular purpose. An apple who still struggles, who doesn’t really have it together, who is vulnerable and insecure and often cares way too much about what others may or may not think. An apple who does find herself amongst many oranges but is doing her best to try and be proud of who she is. Trying her best to expel the ideas and preconceived notions that come with being such. An apple that really just desires to prove the validity of who Jesus Christ is. One who daily fights the strong temptation to simply blend in and mind her own business. And so I’m thankful that I can look at scars and see them as marks from a loving Healer. Marks that display the glory of a God who loves, who redeems, and who never compares apples to oranges.
#292 – Because I have marks that are the proof of a loving Healer.
“I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, who heals them. – Isaiah 57:18-19
“The moon will be as bring as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds He gave them.” – Isaiah 30:25-26
“Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next. Think of it – the Lord is ready to heal me! I will sing of his praises with instruments every day of my life in the temple of the Lord.” – Isaiah 38:19-20