favorite pastime

I know that it is our favorite pastime all the world over, but I have found myself enjoying hours of comparison yet again. I sit in class and think "I said that better than he did!" or "I don't know my vocabulary as well as he does." I go to the mall and think "am I fitting in as well as everybody else?" or "I wonder if I speak arabic as well as others in my class" it seems to never end. I am always assessing whether or not I am securely on the life boat or in danger of being shoved off. It seems that I forget so easily that I am saved by grace alone and drop into the depths of self-worship as I try to redeem myself.
I can remember sitting in the back of the Land Cruiser in Boise and singing with the boys "redeem us oh Lord our God!" and I have been looking into grace and Gal. 4 speaks so clearly- He came to redeem us, so that we will no longer be slaves but now are children, and if children then heirs with Him!
It is amazing how the story of grace changes everything- how being redeemed by grace alone turns my eyes off of myself- it allows me to love instead of compare...... I only hope that I am growing in this, that the Spirit is transforming me - changing my favorite pastime to loving instead of comparing!!!

I took some pictures today- so check them out, I hope there will be more tomorrow.