Told by DaisyI’m the smallest dog in every park, so I know comparing all too well. Today I’m telling you how I stopped.
I’m a miniature poodle. In every park I’m the smallest dog, and there was a time when I was constantly looking at the others. The big ones run faster, the ones with shiny coats get more cuddles, and everybody loves the golden retriever next door. And me? Small, fluffy and called a “sheep” by everyone in winter.
Today we have a tool for this that didn’t exist before. Fenny once put it like this: “On Instagram everyone has a great life. Except me.”
Comparison is never fair
I answered him: “You only see their best moments.” And he said: “And I know all of my worst ones.”
That’s exactly the problem. We compare our whole life, with all the tired mornings, all the arguments and all the tears, to someone else’s best ten seconds. The chosen photo, the good light, the moment right after the child finally stopped crying. That isn’t a fair comparison. It’s like comparing your everyday life to the trailer of a movie.
Comparing is older than Instagram
There’s a scene at the end of John’s Gospel that I really love, because it’s so human. Jesus has risen and is talking with Peter by the lake. He tells him what lies ahead: that one day Peter will be carried where he doesn’t want to go ✦John 21:18✦. That’s a heavy moment. And what does Peter do first? He turns around, sees John and asks:
Lord, what about this man?
I had to laugh when I read that. That’s me, checking whether the retriever gets more treats. And Jesus answers gently, but very clearly:
Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”
“What is that to you?” At first that sounds stern. But really it sets you free. Jesus is saying: You don’t have to walk someone else’s path. You have your own, and I’m walking it with you. Don’t look at him. Look at me.
Your piece of land
In the Old Testament, the families of Israel were given their land with a measuring line. Each family had its own piece. And David writes a verse about it that I’d hang above my food bowl if I could:
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
David doesn’t look over the fence at his neighbor. He looks at his own piece and says: It’s beautiful. That doesn’t mean everything was perfect for him. It means he learned to see what he has instead of what the others have.
One small step for today
Unfollow one account today that makes you feel worse every time. Nobody gets a message, nobody gets offended. You’re just tidying up a little in the garden you walk into every day.
And then try something that helped me a lot: Write down three things that are beautiful about your own life. Not compared to anyone, just as they are.
I’m still the smallest dog in the park, by the way. But I’m also the only one who fits under every bench. And Jesus never said: “Become like the others.” He said: “You follow me.”
Bible quotations: World English Bible (public domain).
