Horizontal Comparisons

by Kelly Knowlden

One of the aspects of living in a fallen world is that we are continually making comparisons to others.  We compare our hair style, our car make, our economic status, and our parenting rules to those around us.  It usually has devastating results.  Comparisons to those who are presumed to be “better” will leave us with a sense of failure, envy, covetousness, discouragement, and having a desire to somehow bring them “down” to our level.  Comparisons to those that we perceive who are worse off [dumber, poorer, uglier, goofier, etc.] leaves us feeling superior, proud, boastful, sinfully smug, and having a desire to let everyone know that we know we are “better.”

Kids tend to do the same things and end up with the same problems.  The spillover of all that is that kids try to “prove” that they are tougher, stronger, cooler, smarter, by a number of different methods.  This includes bullying, which is the number one problem  in schools today.

As a Christian School we are obviously against bullying, however, we are also against all that underlies the reasons kids bully.  I am sure that you will agree that you do not want your children to be bullied nor to be bullies. Here is how you can help.

Compare them to NO ONE.  Tell them how much you love them for who they are.  Even if they get under your skin, commend them for their desire for what is right.  [I have never had a kid tell me that he purposefully wanted to do what was wrong.]  Tell them about God’s work in fulfilling what He has for them.  Give them that gospel hope that says Jesus Christ is able to work in them to fulfill the potential for which He made them.