Compared To What?

I catch myself saying or at least thinking this statement often. If I said it half as much as I thought it I'm sure my face would be in pain due to the affliction it endured at the hands of my wife or anyone else for that matter (she's not as violent as I make her sound....except when I tickle her.....then she'd probably gouge my eyes out).

I think the reason we (or at least I) like to make comparisons is that it's our best way to gauge our comprehension. I don't comprehend things well, especially when reading. I remember being in school and taking exams or even worse, SAT's, and dreading the reading comprehension portion because I knew I sucked at it. I would tear through the math portion like a wizard and when it was time to read my brain shut down. It was like it was on strike. I remember sitting in my high school library taking the SAT's and my heart racing and feeling like it was going to leap out of my chest and onto the floor. At that moment I would have paid for that to happen so that I could stop the reading comprehension, or in my case, lack thereof.

All that to say comprehension is different for all of us and it takes some of us great lengths and long stretches to reach. But I believe we do our best comprehension when we adequately compare things in which we are familiar. Familiarity brings comfort. This can be a bad thing too, but for comprehension sake it's good. Which is probably why most of us when someone asks, "how are we doing today", we immediately think in our minds, "well, compared to yesterday things are pretty good." Compared to yesterday, compared to today, compared to last week. Compared to him, compared to her, compared to me, compared to you. Comparisons can also be bad especially when trying to live up to them. That kind of comparison will leave us feeling inadequate for the rest of our lives, but comparisons can, and often are great for comprehension.

One of the coolest things that I've learned through comparisions is that there are some things you can't compare nor can you fully comprehend (I know this seems contradictory to what I had just finish saying). Sure you can match them up and place them along side one another, but in reality there's no possible way to wrap our minds completely around it. Take God for instance. Sure we can know about Him, we can learn about His character and even pinpoint some attributes that help us understand Him. But to fully comprehend, to fully know God is to know more than God....and that, if you subscribe to God being all-knowing, is impossible.

I've found myself after studying and learning about God that there really is no comparison to Him. But when I try, I end up becoming more in awe of who He is. When I realize how small I am compared to the rest of the world, and how small the world is in compared to the Sun, and how small the Sun is compared to our solar system, and how small our solar system is compared to our galaxy, and how small our galaxy is compared to our universe it can be quite overwhelming. What's even more overwhelming is that there is no comparison to God. No thought, no imagination, no make-believe or fantasy, no physical realm or tangible object compares to the Creator of it all. Now that's something to be overwhelmed with and nothing, no relationship and no person compares to the greatness of knowing Him.

"Nothing Compares" Third Day
I've heard all the stories
I've seen all the signs
Witnessed all the glory
Tasted all that's fine

I see all the people
Wasting all their time
Building up their riches
For a life that's fine

I find myself just living for today
'Cause I don't know what
Tomorrow's gonna bring
So no matter if I rise or fall
I'll never be alone, oh no

Nothing compares to the
greatness of knowing You, Lord
Nothing compares to the
greatness of knowing You, Lord