You're Different
The other day I was reading the "How to Read Matthew" preface to the Book of Matthew in my old NIV Student Bible, and I came across the following instruction: "First, consider how it differs from the other three Gospels; this will give you some idea of Matthew's distinct purpose." First, consider how it differs; this will give you some idea of its distinct purpose. Here, in this obvious but all-too-overlooked advice, I think there is something to be said about how we should consider our own differences. We often look at differences as a bad thing. I'm always telling my kids, "comparison is the thief of joy," and I stand by that mantra. However, when we are able to see our differences not as ways that we are less than or greater than those around us, but rather as different textures, different brushstrokes, different colors, different mediums and techniques (all used for their unique beauty) in God's divine gallery, we can compare, or "c...