Comparisons Are Deadly

Ann Voskamp wrote a beautiful post lately titled The Real Truth About Boring Men.  She  wrote about her amazing husband ~  How a man proposes isn’t what makes him romantic. It’s how a man purposes to lay down his life that makes him romantic...Get it: Life - and marriage proposals - isn't about one up-manship - it's about one down-manship.  It's about the heart-boring years of sacrifice and going lower and serving. It's not about how well you perform your proposal.  It's about how well you let Christ perform your life.

She shares all the ways her husband serves her and loves her as she is aging.  It is an absolutely beautiful writing.  I loved it but after I was done reading it, all I could think of was how upset this probably made many women with their husbands.  "My husband doesn't serve me like that!"  "My husband isn't at all like Ann's.  I need to give him this post and let him see how far short he falls."

The sad thing about this is that Ann's whole mission in her writings is to encourage others to live a life of thankfulness.  However, it is so easy to compare our husbands to hers and feel that ours falls so short.  Instead, it should make us see all the things we have to be thankful about in our husbands even if we don't think they measure up to Ann's husband.

Instead of being happy for others when they are happy, we mourn for the lack in our lives.  It is so easy to be selfish instead of obeying God's command to rejoice with those who rejoice.  Her post should encourage us, as women, to serve our husbands even if we feel they fall short in serving us.

If your husband isn't like Ann's,  if you feel he is not serving you and giving you what you need, keep looking to Christ as your example.  He continued loving and serving others, even the one who betrayed him.  We are called to do the same and we can since He promises us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

If you read Ann's post, how did it make you feel:  thankful for the husband you have or discontent because he isn't like Ann's?

Not that I am speaking of being in need, 

for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

Philippians 4:11