Not to Compare

As a parent, you can spend a lot of time comparing yourself to others who do things differently than you. Maybe you get frustrated because someone else's kids are reading better than yours or are better behaved. Or maybe you feel good because your kid is the better one.
But God says that it is unwise to compare yourselves.
I know I wish my kids were the top of the class, would always behave immediately, would sit still in church and never run in the sanctuary, but--I also wish I were more consistent with them, as an example and as a model.
When the Bible talks about women being saved through child-bearing, I wonder if it has something to do w/ the work God does in your heart as you work with others, specifically your children, as you see in them yourself and your need to rely on God and grow more like Him. No one teaches you humility like a child, because small children don't value your accomplishments and aren't out to make you look good. Furthermore, they are obviously needy, and ultimately, so are we.
The biggest struggle and yet the easiest, I think, is persevering. It's so hard because it requires a degree of unquenchable, unfounded optimism, sometimes facing the worst odds and still striving for improvement in oneself and in one's family. It's so easy because we do have a deep love for our family and as believers, a great desire to see them grow spiritually.
At the end of the day, I want to do the best I can with my kids and present my talents as they present theirs to God, having done all we could with what we were given, regardless of what anyone else is given or what they do with it. To hear Him say "well done," is what matters, no matter what anyone else says.