Guest Writer Series

 I am pleased to introduce Christy Mobley as a guest writer for this week’s post. Christy and I met at a speakers and writers conference last year. I’m glad we did. Her candor and wisdom are an encouragement to me.  I believe her post on “when to have tunnel vision” will encourage you too! 

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If you were to see me driving down the road, I’m sorry but I probably wouldn’t see you. You could wave your hands, honk your horn, and still, I wouldn’t even notice I’ve just passed you.

I’m not trying to be rude. Really.

When I drive I look straight ahead (with the exception of pulling out into traffic) so I can see where I’m going.

My husband tells me I have tunnel vision. Both he and friends tease me about it all the time. But maybe it’s a good thing to ignore what’s on your right and what’s to your left.

However, when I’m walking for exercise, walking in the mall, or even down a sidewalk, I haven’t always adopted this same ethic. Instead, I’ve had more of a wandering vision and it’s gotten me into a mess more than once.

I remember one instance in particular where hubby and I were strolling down the sidewalk at an outside mall. I was trying to check out the delicious purse dangling from the cute girl’s shoulder to my right when I ran smack into a street sign. Ouch!

Humiliating and painful all at the same time.

More often, I just mow people down while I’m gawking at something or somebody to the right or left.

Okay, you might be thinking that I’m not paying attention.

But I am.

As a matter of fact, I’m paying too much attention—to what’s on my left and what’s on my right.

And that’s what we do when we compare—we give too much consideration to what others have or don’t and where they’re going with it.

When we rank ourselves by looking at our neighbor, we get a skewed view of who we are and where we’re headed.

But we all do this thing, compare. We can’t seem to help ourselves.

Sure we may see some benefit when we look one way and see that we do something better than somebody else but when we look the other way there will always be someone who can do that same thing better than we can.

Although weighing ourselves against another person may temporarily puff us up, we are sure to get the wind knocked out of us soon or later.

There’s nothing fair with the word compare.

I heard Lysa TerKeurst once say. “Don’t compare your chapter one to my chapter twenty.”

Here’s why: We are all on our own unique journey mapped out specifically for us to fulfill God’s purposes.

Comparison is a clever distraction, a temptation constructed by our distorted human condition, derailing us off God’s course.

When we look around to see what others are doing and where they’re going, we can’t see where God is leading.

We lose our bearing.

Isaiah 30:21 tells us, “When you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ ”

Just think of God as our personal GPS. If we listen, He’ll direct us where to go. No need to look at our neighbor.

Lesson here? Don’t run into street signs or worse, mow somebody over.

Christy is a wife, mother, writer, mentor, and Life Purpose Coach. She is passionate about encouraging women to move forward, and press on through their struggles, seeking God’s presence in every bump and turn in the road.  You can connect with Christy at christymobley.com ,(Joying in the Journey), Facebook, or Twitter.