GETTING ‘RIGHT-SIZED’

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me to get ‘right-sized,’ not full of myself or down on myself! Amen.


Jesus heard the Apostles arguing. “What are you fighting about?” He asked. They were ashamed, because they’d been arguing over which one of them was the greatest. Jesus told them, “If any of you wants to be first, he has to be a servant to all.”

Kids can be really hard on themselves. You make one mistake and say, “I’m stupid.” You see someone who weighs less or is more muscled than you and say, “I’m fat.” A friend says she has a boyfriend already and you say, “No one will ever be interested in me.”

Stop saying those things to yourself! Jesus wouldn’t want you to do that. As this week’s Gospel (Mark 9:30-37) shows, He wanted everyone to be “right-sized:” not too full of ourselves and not too down on ourselves.

In fact, Jesus’ advice can be summed up in three words: “Do the work.” When He overheard the Apostles arguing about who was the greatest, He didn’t say, “You’re all awesome and perfect,” and He didn’t say, “None of you are great, so cut it out.” He said, “If you want to be great, help other people.”

Great people do the work that’s in front of them. Everyone knows that helping other people makes you feel good about yourself, too.

So, if you’re feeling stupid, think of something you’re good at and help someone else with it. Then ask someone who’s good at what you struggle with to help you. You’ll get “right-sized” about your struggles and your talents.

If you’re telling yourself that you’re fat, ask yourself: Are you, really? Is weight a big issue for you, or are you just beating yourself up for no reason? Again, someone who’s into exercise or healthy eating can help you work on that.

Jesus said to be a servant: to do the work that’s in front of us and not worry about being great or not being great. No boasting — and no being hard on yourself!