Not So White

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:7; Philippians 2:1-11

“I’m glad I’m not like Rachel.” Beth gazed at the falling snow through the car window as she spoke.

“What do you mean?” Mom asked with a slight frown.

“Well, Rachel is kinda—oh, I don’t know—stuck on herself a bit,” Beth replied. “Whenever we talk, she does most of the talking, and it’s usually about all the things she’s good at.” Beth rolled her eyes. “What an ego!”

“Rachel is good at a lot of things,” said Mom, “but so are you! You don’t think you have an ego?” She gave Beth a sideways glance.

“Of course not!” Beth exclaimed. “Do you ever hear me bragging about what I can do?”

“No,” Mom said as they pulled into their driveway, “but that doesn’t mean your heart is humble. And isn’t your heart what we really should be concerned about?” She stopped the car and turned off the engine. “Tell you what, why don’t you go get Bumpkin and let her run around outside for a while?”

Beth gave her mother a confused look, but went and got her pet bunny.

“Before you set her down,” Mom said, “tell me what color Bumpkin is.”

Beth laughed as they both looked down at the fuzzy bunny. “White, of course!”

“Are you sure?” Mom asked. “Put her down in the snow.”

Beth set her rabbit down at the edge of the snowy yard and stood back. “Yuck!” she said. “She looks so dirty!”

“Yep,” agreed Mom. “She doesn’t look so white anymore! Snow has a way of making other white objects look gray.” Mom turned to Beth. “It’s the same with us. Our hearts may seem clean and white when we compare ourselves to other people. But when we compare our hearts to Jesus, we see how dirty they really are.”

Beth nodded sheepishly. “I guess when I compare myself to Jesus, I’m a lot like Rachel after all.”

“We all are,” said Mom. “That’s why Jesus died to save us. When we trust in Him and ask Him to forgive us for the wrong we do, He makes our hearts whiter than snow!”

“I guess I need to remember that when I’m around Rachel,” Beth said as she watched Bumpkin hop around in the snow. “And ask Jesus to forgive me for comparing myself to her instead of Him.” – Rebecca Thomas

How About You?

Do you ever compare yourself to others? It may make you feel better about yourself sometimes, but it doesn’t give an accurate picture of what your heart is really like. Jesus is the only perfect standard—and the only one who can make your heart whiter than snow when you trust in Him. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 10:12 But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Today’s Key Thought:

Compare yourself to Jesus