Inferior or Inspired?

Today is Day 4 of the devotional I am doing with the Catholic Woman's Devotional Bible. The reading today was the story of Cain and Abel. From a parent's perspective, it always strikes me as almost humorous, in a sad sort of way, when Cain says to God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" God, as our heavenly Father, even without being an all knowing Father, would have seen right through that. Cain might have thought he had the upper hand for just a moment, but any parent worth their salt knows when their child is lying to them, and he couldn't have been any more obvious unless he had confessed outright.

The devotional portion today was focused on the jealousy Cain felt because God preferred Abel's offering. The story that went along with it was about a group of women who attended a quilt show. They were quilters themselves, but not necessarily of the caliber of the quilters whose pieces were being displayed. One woman, while looking at a particularly well done quilt, asked the others if looking at the pieces made them feel inferior because their work wasn't the same quality or inspired to bring their work up to the same level.

That is a difficult question for many people, I am sure. I know, personally, there are times where I might feel inferior and other times where I might feel inspired, depending on what it is and where I am in my life. People around me often inspire me in spiritual ways. There is a woman in our parish who seemingly does it all. Not only that, she has a humble bearing and quiet demeanor which comes through in everything I have ever seen her do at Church. She inspires me to be more like her in her reverence and her willingness to serve.

Then there is the woman from Church who accomplishes most of what she does through serving. She is a leader and a strong woman, but primarily works on more humble tasks. She inspires me to do what needs to be done.

In almost all matters parenting and wifely, I find myself struggling with feeling inferior to others. I don't feel inspired to do more or do differently when I hear the stories of successful wives and mothers. I see the imaginary measuring stick where I am falling short.

For today, I will look for inspiration in my roles, both as wife and mother, rather than feeling inferior when I hear the stories of others who do more, or better, or are better organized or who keep a better home or prepare better meals.