No Comparison Needed

There’s something about back-to-school season that makes comparison sneak in through the front door.

Everywhere you look, there’s a reminder of what everyone else has. The backpack your child needs to have. The shoes everyone is wearing. The sports everyone is playing. The activities everyone seems to be involved in.

And parents? We can get caught in it too. We wonder if our kids are doing enough, if we’re doing enough, or why every other family seems to have it all together.

But comparison has a way of stealing our joy. 2 Corinthians 10:12 reminds us not to compare ourselves with others. And maybe that’s something worth remembering as we start another school year: your child doesn’t have to be someone else’s child, and your family doesn’t have to look like another family.

So instead of asking, “How do we measure up?” maybe this school year we can ask, “What can we celebrate?”

Celebrate the kid in front of you. Celebrate the little victories, the growth, the new friendships, the demonstrations of kindness, and the courage to try something new.

Because while comparison says, “You’re not enough,” God reminds us, “You are mine.” No item of clothing, no activity, no grade, no number of friends, and no post-high school plan can change that.

So as backpacks get packed and new routines begin, let’s choose to stop looking sideways and start looking up. Let’s remind our kids—and ourselves—that their worth was never found in keeping up with everyone else. Our worth is found in the One who created us, knows us, and loves us completely.

~Amanda