Comparisons in parenting are one of Satan’s most common tricks.
He loves to tempt us to LOOK OUT at those around us.
He convinces us we’re not good enough….that if we only looked like her or had a personality like her…or had patience like her…or whatever…then we would be successful.
Not too long ago I heard someone say that “Comparison is the enemy of contentment.”
The more I have thought about it, the more I have realized how true this particular quote is.
We are least happy with our kids when we are comparing them to other kids.
We are least happy with our spouses when we are comparing them to other people.
And we are least happy with our lives when we are looking at the lives of others and thinking about how ours don’t measure up.
My challenge for this week is simple (simple to state…harder to do): stop comparing.
Stop comparing your kids’ behavior to other kids’ behavior. Because really, what good is it doing anyway?
If your kid is “better” than another kid, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily doing a better job as a parent. And if your kid is not as well-behaved as another kid, it doesn’t mean you’re failing.
A child’s behavior is not always a reflection of parenting.
(Sometimes, sure, you might need to change up your methods if they’re not working, but other times, you might just have a child who is a little bit harder to handle. That doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent.)
Kids are just different. Some kids are strong-willed; others go with the flow. Some are independent, others are rule-followers.
Comparisons in parenting don’t help anyone. They don’t make you a better parent, and they don’t make your kids behave better.
This week, when you’re tempted to compare your family to the family of another, stop looking out at other people and start looking up.
Stop looking at what other people are doing well or poorly and start asking God to help YOU become a better parent.
Because the truth is, looking OUT will often make you feel less than, but looking UP will remind you that you are already more than enough. (Click to tweet this.)
Need to catch up on previous challenges? No problem:
Week 1 Biblical Parenting Challenge
Week 2 Biblical Parenting Challenge
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About Searching for Sanity:
Have you ever looked at your beloved children and wondered: What in the world am I doing? Why did God trust me of all people to raise them? Motherhood is the most difficult job many of us will ever take. Moms today are busy, overwhelmed and stressed. Many feel under qualified.
Searching for Sanity offers moms an opportunity to take a breath, dig into the Word, and learn from parents of the past. In short devotions designed for busy moms, this book explores the parents of the Bible both the good and the bad. Some of the parents within the pages of God’s Word set great examples for us to follow; others made huge mistakes. In Searching for Sanity, you’ll learn from both.
The wisdom of God’s Word, paired with the experiences of another mother-in-training, will help moms find sanity in the midst of chaos.
