Rev. Wendy Komori Stager-
Compare and despair
Have you ever felt nervous before attending a class reunion? Do you have a family member who is the golden child? Do you ever check Facebook and start to feel like your life doesn’t measure up to the rest of the posts? (Personal confession — Facebook is the hardest one for me.) We all compare ourselves to others. And so often, that comparison feeds our own inner voices of self-doubt. Also, because the only mind we can read is our own, we tend to pit the worst in ourselves against the best in other people.
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25: 14-30) the master entrusts his slaves with differing amounts of money. While two of the slaves used the money to make more, a third slave took the talent, dug a hole and buried it in the ground. He was afraid. I relate to that third slave. I doubt my abilities and am tempted to hide rather than be vulnerable enough to risk and engage. The fear and self doubt cut creativity short. What could you do if you let go of some self-doubts and followed Christ’s call to risk?