Reflections for Youth - Measuring Up

Apples and Oranges.

The old saying goes that we can't compare them because they are different things. 

But they are both fruit - right?

Comparing ourselves to others is a very human thing. 

But we can't determine our self-worth in comparison to others. Every one of us is unique in our own way.  Apples and oranges are both fruit but they grow in different ways and conditions. 

Think about how we measure things. We use different things to measure different items.  We use a measuring cup for recipe ingredients and a yardstick for distance. Both things measure and determine value - but they are not the same.  We can't measure flour for a batch of cookies with a yardstick and a measuring cup can't help us determine our height. 

When we make comparisons with other people it's easy to judge others and ourselves. Of course, Jesus has something to teach us about this. 

In this week's Gospel lesson from Luke, Jesus tells a parable about measuring or comparing ourselves to others in order to see who is best.

Read Luke 18: 9-14

Two people went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee. This person made a big deal about going to the temple and strutted past everyone and stood in the middle where everyone could see him praying.  The other person was a tax collector.  Back in those times, tax collectors had no friends and people didn’t like them because they collected money for the Roman rulers.

The tax collector came quietly and went into a dark corner so we would be seen. The Pharisee prayed with his hands above his head and said “God, thank you that I am not like other people (especially that tax collector.) I fast and I give a lot of money to the temple.

Over in the corner the tax collector quietly prayer with his head down. And he prayed “God, I am a sinner. Have mercy on me.”

After he told the parable Jesus said the tax collector will go home from the temple feeling forgiven, but the Pharisee will not. People who lift themselves above others will be brought down.  People who know what they have done wrong will be lifted high.

We are human so it's natural for us to play the comparison game. We can too hard on ourselves and think we do not measure up to others. Or, we judge others and think we are better than them, like the Pharisee. 

Our worth or value, what kind of person we are, can only be measured by God. God loves each one of us no matter what. Jesus teaches us the leave the measuring to God. God can truly see the goodness in our hearts.

So the moral of the story? Perhaps when we stop thinking we know it all and ask God and others for help then we are more open to being able to learn and be better.  

Questions to think about this week:

Who do you compare yourself with the most?

How do we be accepting of others without making comparisons?