THE THREE 'C's

A while back I heard a sermonette on the radio about the three 'C's. Like old bubble gum stuck under my desk, I kept finding this message to be waiting there when I least expected or when it was quiet enough that I reached for it. I think it has value, and I hope you'll appreciate it.



THE THREE 'C's are three words beginning with the letter 'C' that define behaviors we are to avoid... for our own good, of course.



COMPARE - Why do we insist on comparing ourselves with other people? We are each made unique, individual, special, important, and worthy of love. Nothing that we have done or could do can change these core truths. We needn't compare to others who appear more "successful" or more "wealthy" - true success and wealth are measured inside the heart.



When we compare ourselves to others, judgement always results. In the comparison of two similar entities, the goal is to label one good / one bad, one better / one lesser, one right / one wrong, one acceptable / one not so. Although our human nature leads us down the path of comparison, we must constantly resist the temptation to judge ourselves or others against any standard at all. LIVE AND LET LIVE.



COMPETE - Human nature also leads us into competition. We strive to win, to come out ahead, to prove ourselves better than others, to feel good about ourselves and our talents or skills. I submit that this is the ego talking, the part of us at the core that seeks approval and acceptance from our peers. Are we winners? Are we worthy of attention and accolade? Are we among the best? From childhood into adulthood we seek to prove our worth by elevating ourselves over others in various arenas of competition - athletics, arts, intelligence, labor, materialism. I submit that our worth lies simply in our creation, nothing more or less. God thought to make us, and thus we are worthwhile. We can rest in that truth, no competition needed. "The evil ego and the vice of pride... is there ever anything else that makes us take our different sides?"



COVET - When we want something that another person has for our own self-gratification, we are engaged in coveting. Coveting is not far from 'lusting after'. The definition of 'lust' is "wanting for one's self". I submit that anytime the word SELF is involved, we're on the wrong path. We are to constantly consider the needs of others before our own, and constantly seek to bless. It is in blessing others that we are blessed in return - not because we expected it or manipulated cirumstance to make it happen, just because it is the fruit of selflessness. Coveting someone else's possessions or blessings or talents implies that we feel we deserve what they have. We covet something simply because we want it and think we deserve to have it, in a selfish and jealous kind of way. In our materialistic, competitive (see above), selfish, corporate-based society and culture it is normal to behave this way. The world tells us to get what we can while we can, and hoard it before someone else steals it. We see evidence of covetous behavior in infidelity, theft, embezzlement, kidnapping, jealous anger, and copyright infringement. I want what is yours, and I am going to take it. I deserve it. I can't live without it. I will make it mine.

Ultimately, we are each responsible for ourselves and only ourselves. We can only affect and control our own behavior, not that of another. We are charged with striving on a daily basis to live out a life of love, considering God above all else and considering others before ourselves. The fact that this is contrary to human nature is not a surprise to God! We live in the midst of a great spiritual battle, and the enemy's goal is to keep us focused on ME.