Sitting in Youth Group, I noticed her staring at someone across the room. I knew the look well from personal experience. I could almost hear the voices in her head as she examined the other girl.

“Her skin is perfect. Not like mine all blotchy and dry. Is she even wearing any makeup?!”

“I wish my hair was like hers. Why didn’t I try and do something with this hair? Ugh.”

“She’s got such a pretty singing voice. I sound like a dying calf.”

I’ve been playing the comparison game as long as I could remember. Everyone had something I longed for. My sister had athletics and the ability to run long distances and not DIE. The girl sitting next to me in English had the skinny, lean body while my chins could be numbered. He learned languages easily and quickly while I couldn’t conjugate to save my life. She’s married and has a couple great kids while I’m VERY single and no where close to picking out little pink tutus or little jean overalls.

Comparing is breeding ground for pity and I was the Pity, Pity Princess.

I’ve come to learn that one of the problems with this mentality is that each time I play the comparison game I’m telling God : You didn’t do a good job on me.  I’m telling a perfect God that He made a mistake. And to top that, that my feeble human mind knows BETTER.

There are some Truths I believe about God. I believe He is perfect. That He is good. That He is all knowing. All powerful. But I was living as if He was one of those people who has to read the direction on how to make Pop-Tarts. Ya know what I mean? In revelatory fashion, it all clicked. If God is perfect and He made me than He made me perfectly. I’m not one of the “imperfects” marked down on the clearance shelf either.

I’ve got everything I was meant to have. Sure, I’m not musically gifted, my muscle is protected by layers of “cuddle” and I’d much rather run into a Starbucks than run in a marathon, but I’m me. And everything I am and have (in regards to gifts, passions, skills, talents) is exactly what I need.

I’m a unique puzzle piece, but I fit perfectly into MY spot in the big picture. There’s no sense trying to make myself fit in someone else’s spot. It won’t work, but if I understand that being me means that I can connect with the people God has placed around me for this time and for His purpose than I can finally find some peace. That means that even though there are 7 billion people in the world– I am still significant because God made only one me. And there may be over 240 million blogs on the internet– my blog is still important because it will reach and speak to people that other blogs won’t. And no other blog has me…so there’s that too.

Stop looking at everyone else. God did a good job on YOU. You are going to love people I’ll never know. You’re going to do things I could never do. And that’s awesome. We want and we NEED genuine you. Not some weird Frankenstein mash-up of who you think we need or want. Just you– the way God made you. In all your quirkiness. You.