Better

   “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.”

             Psalm 84:10

You know the feeling. It is regrettably all too familiar. It creeps onto the horizon of our lives and inches toward us while it takes root in our soul. Before long everything we see is flavored as we somehow think that life could be better for us than it is today. It is called the Law of Comparison and it means that we see life through the viewpoint of a heart that alternates between envy and bitterness. On the one hand, we envy that which appears to be better than we have and if unchecked, we become bitter because we think we deserve what we perceive to be the better thing. We begin to resent what we don’t have and have no sense of gratitude for the things that we have been blessed with. It can happen with our parents, jobs, experiences, mates, children, cars or any other possession. From this perspective the Law of Comparison can bring great pain to our hearts and bitterness to our souls.

On the other hand, the Law of Comparison can be the source of great blessing if we choose to see life from the perspective of how much blessing we have received in light of what we know we don’t deserve. When we realize how much undeserved blessing we have received from God’s hand in this life, the Law of Comparison will boost our spirits, raise our attitudes and stretch our hearts with praise. The Law of Comparison is a tool in the hands of God when we realize how much we have that we don’t deserve. Life is better when our perspective of comparison is grounded in gratitude and humility. 

Like most tests of the spirit, The Law of Comparison is amoral. In and of itself it is neither good nor bad. It can be employed to grow gratitude or bitterness. The Law of Comparison helps explain why the same thing can cause different responses. Adversity creates the potential for one to become better or bitter. The choice resides with the one who determines how to use the Law of Comparison. We either see how very much God has blessed us compared to others or we see how very little we may have when compared to others. The Law of Comparison is dangerous to our spiritual life if we do not live with a good dose of humility and gratitude. Humility and gratitude prompt us to see life as better. No matter what we may be going through, we realize that with Jesus in our lives, life is better. 40 years ago, my heart was hard. Really hard. And I thought that everyone else’s Dad was better than my Dad. How is that for arrogance? Today at 56 and with a growing sense of humility, I realize that my Dad is so much better than I deserved. Better in fact than any other Dad I know. What changed? I used the Law of Comparison wisely instead of wickedly. In Psalm 84, David compared: Tents of wickedness? Your presence? And he realized wisely that nothing is better than Jesus’ presence. He is that good. He is better. And we are better ourselves when we realize He is better. Better than anyone or anything. Because He is better.