Comparing My Insides to Someone Else's Outsides

I have been thinking lately of the great wisdom that has been shared with me over the years. One of the ones I have most appreciated is "Don't compare your insides to someone else's outsides". It took me a while to fully understand that one - and honestly didn't TRULY understand it, until I experienced it in reverse. Someone was comparing THEIR insides to MY outsides.

I don't even remember what the first situation was, I just remembered my complete and total surprise when someone came up to me and asked "How can you be so calm? I'm scared to death!" I looked her, amazed. "Calm? I'm freaking out here!"

Periodically, I hear it - "You're so together!" (I'm not), "You're so organized" (to a fault, but I rarely feel like I am, and yes, I DO forget things), "You're so strong" (I'm not, He is), "You're always happy" (I'm not), "I've never seen you angry" (you've just never seen it - I do get angry), "You're so patient" (with others moreso than myself, and only to a degree), "You're so brave" (not very often - when I feel brave, it's usually anger fueling that - if I'm acting courageously, I'm more likely "doing it afraid").

When I find myself comparing myself to someone else, it's usually comparing how I feel to how they look... and they ALWAYS look better than I feel! As I become aware of it, I hear myself saying "Don't compare your insides to someone else's insides!". I remind myself that we are all created with our individual set of gifts and talents - and our own struggles and weaknesses. There will always be people who will be more skilled at this or that than I am. The only thing that I can do better than anyone else is be uniquely ME.... the woman God intended me to be.

May live as the woman You have created me to be.