White as Sheep
On March 10th, 2023, we received between 8-10 inches of wet, heavy snow overnight. The sight was absolutely beautiful out the picture window in the living room. All of the tree branches were loaded with snow. The driveway was nowhere to be found. My children’s zip line and our clothes lines draped between the trees had a 1 to 2 inch buildup of snow on the top, rounded surface. The kids shared my enthusiasm as they slowly trickled out of their bedrooms.
With the bright white snow on the ground, I started to reflect on a story I read somewhere many years ago. It described a little child riding in the family car out in the country side during the late summer months. As the child passed by a pasture with sheep grazing on the clover, he excited exclaimed, “Look at those bright white sheep!” A few months later in the dead of winter, after a heavy snowfall, the same family drove by the same pasture with the same sheep. The disappointment and disgust that was carried through the little voice was palpable. “Those sheep are so dirty!”
I believe this story has many applications, but let me focus on one – the art and folly of comparison. This little child did what we all do, he made a comparison. One comparison was done with a dirty backdrop, and the other comparison with an undefiled clean backdrop. The sheep, however, were just the same as they always were and will be.
Often times, we reflect on our life (sheep) through the eyes of the boy (fixed reference) against various backdrops. The backdrop we tend to use is the perceived success or perceived failure of our friends, our family, and our coworkers. I would also agree with countless studies that shows social media can be the worst backdrop of all for making comparisons – click here for one example. Although there are a few that use the comparison as motivation to improve, the vast majority of us become discouraged or envious.
So what is the solution? Well perhaps, we should we should consider Paul’s advice in in his letter to the Thessalonians.
"And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."
Did you catch that? In a letter that was written more than a millennia ago, the comparison game existed. Good thing we aren’t alone! But there is hope, when we learn to mind our own business, we earn the opportunity of two things: the respect of others and independence! That sounds like a great payout!
Questions to Ponder
To mind our own business and work with our hands to earn respect and independence, implies that we have considered a few things.
Consider this…
What detailed goals have you considered and created for the next 5 years? How about 10 years?
What habits do you currently have that you need eliminate?
What daily routines do you need to create to move towards the goals?
Who do you know that can provide accountability?
How do you (and your spouse if married) define respect and independence?
To being about the business of your business to gain independence!