No Comparison

Have you ever been thankful that you were you?

The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. - Luke 18:11

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable of two men, one a tax collector and one a Pharisee.

You know where this is going, right?

The sinner who humbles himself is forgiven while the boasting Pharisee manages to dig his own grave, in a sense, by comparing his righteousness to others.

He is not even saying, "There but for the grace of God go I," which amounts to the same type of comparison.  At least that would have indicated that he knew he could be in the same situation as the tax collector.

No, he is better than that, or so he thinks.

We can all fall into the trap of comparing our situation to that of others, leading to the feeling we are blessed not because of who God is, but because of who we are.

I like to think I don't draw comparisons, but I am sure I do.  It's automatic, especially if we minister to people who have less than we have.

But maybe some comparisons can be good for us.  They may make us stop and reassess our lives, not because we don't want to be like someone else, but because we may have a chance to see ourselves the way others see us, and wonder if they are thinking the same thing.

Thank God, they may think, I am not like him.

More to come...