inferiority & material possessions

This evening I went to a picnic that my husband's job held at the lake. It's the annual 4th of July BBQ that consists of games for the kids and delicious food. Employees and some clients usually attend.

This year the crowd was much smaller so I actually stepped out of my comfort zone and talked with a few of the people there I hadn't ever really talked with. As I was talking with one individual I started to get the impression that I was being ranked on her invisible status bar, and if it were visible I most likely was near the bottom. Her husband has been working as an Engineer for 10 years at this job and I have an inkling that he makes a pretty paycheck. I gave her some grace and kept going on but later overheard a conversation with another individual she was talking with and knew money played a big factor in her life. At one point her son asked my son why he lived in such a small house and asked "where do you even sleep? The kitchen?" This child had never been to our house but I'm not sure if his father might have pointed it out since it's easy to spot as you're driving down the road. He could have just been asking random questions but the point still remains that a young child already believes the size of a person's house is important.

This has always been a struggle of mine feeling inferior to people. People who were more outgoing, funnier, prettier, better dressed,  more educated, make more money, skinnier, nicer house, and the list goes on. Yes, I was basically feeling inferior almost every day of my life. It's not quite what God intended though.

I've learned over the years though that "things" aren't important and that you're in control of your feelings. People don't make you feel inferior, we let them. It's easy to agree with that, but to fully grasp that is the hard part.

The Bible also says:

Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world - wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all it's wanting, wanting, wanting - is on the way out-but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. 

1 John 2:15-17

My relationship with God has helped me to overcome my issues with feeling inferior to other people. The deeper my relationship goes the more I'm able to be the full weight of who I am in Christ. 

I'm not saying I don't wish for a nicer vehicle, bigger kitchen, or money to fix up our yard. However, we get in trouble though when those desires become bigger than God and you let things make you who you are.