A sparrow complained to Mother Nature, “You gave beautiful colors to the peacock and a lovely song to the nightingale, but I am plain and unnoticed. Why was I made to suffer?”
“You were not made to suffer,” stated Mother Nature. “You suffer because you make the same foolish mistake as human beings. You compare yourself with others. Be yourself, for in that there is no comparison and no pain.”
My Commentary:
The sparrow’s problem is not that God gave it too little. Its problem is that it keeps looking at what God gave everyone else.
Isn’t that one of our problems too?
We compare our appearance, health, money, homes, children, careers, and accomplishments — even our happiness. And now social media gives us thousands of people with whom to compare ourselves to every day.
Comparison can quietly steal gratitude.
The sparrow sees the peacock’s magnificent feathers but forgets that it can fly. It hears the nightingale’s beautiful song but fails to hear its own voice.
Jesus once told His disciples that not even a sparrow is forgotten by God. “You are worth more than many sparrows.” God does not create copies. He creates individuals, each with different gifts, limitations, personalities, and purposes.
St. Paul compared the Christian community to a human body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” Every part is different because every part is needed.
Perhaps happiness begins when we stop asking, “Why didn’t God make me more like that person?” and begin asking, “God, what would You have me do with the person You made me?”
You were never asked to be the peacock.
You were never asked to be the nightingale.
You were asked to become fully, joyfully, gratefully YOU.
The sparrow may seem ordinary.
But remember: when Jesus wanted to explain how carefully God watches over His creation, He chose the sparrow.
You do not have to be extraordinary to be precious in the eyes of God.
We all do it — We compare our appearance, health, money, homes, children, careers, and accomplishments — even our happiness to other people. How does doing this affect YOU?
BE WHO GOD WANTS YOU TO BE, NOT WHAT OTHERS WANT TO SEE!
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