In the midst of beginning the total rehab of our house (heat, electricity, plumbing, kitchen, and a bathroom or two…yikes!), and on the heels of helping my folks move into a retirement community (Uh, Dad, how does speaking 300 times next year qualify as retirement?), and with my right ankle still in a cast (Argh!), I have been reading ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’, the amazing story of Dr Paul Farmer’s heroic work in Haiti and around the world…and trying not to feel mighty sheepish about not having saved a few thousand lives and written a few books as well this week.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s a terrific book, full of inspiration and clear thinking about serving the poor. Just don’t go comparing yourself to him. Or to me. Or to anyone else, for that matter.

There’s a reason Jesus told all those stories about people with unequal gifts and resources, and there’s a reason he said not to measure other folks against yourself or vice versa. In the first place, you couldn’t possibly know enough to get it right. Besides, whether you come out high or low, such comparisons will only demotivate you over time.

Appreciate, enjoy, and celebrate all the good stuff other people do, but don’t let it fool you. If a good writer got hold of your life, he or she could probably polish it into a pretty amazing story too.

And God only grades on grace, after all.