Apples to Oranges

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Comparisons can be fun. As a sports fan, I love comparing the statistics of different players in their respective sports. However, comparisons can be misleading. Afterall, there is no such thing as comparing apples to apples. There are too many variables involved in any situation- in baseball, a batting average can be afftected by the skill of a pitcher as well as the fatigue of that pitcher at the time of the at bat...

These may seem like trivial differences but they exist just the same. But I still love statistics and comparisons.
Comparing things in life seems to almost come as second nature to me (and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this). I compare this week's experiences with last week's and I compare this year's big events with last year's. It's difficult not to- our prior experiences help us to know what to expect...or so we think.

Expectations can often get in the way of enjoying the present. If we are constantly comparing this time to the last time, we miss so much of what this time has in store. It's too tempting to look at the past with either rose-colored glasses, or simply dread te coming of next time. Although comparisons can be fun and help us to know what to expect, we must not allow our expectations to get in the way of having a new experience. There is something new in store this time. Expect it to be different.