Have you ever been annoyed by someone else’s success? How about when someone else is getting a lot of positive attention and you are getting very little? Pediatricians warn parents that when a new baby arrives at home, the sibling(s) will often regress for a time (Lea Zeltserman, “When Your Kids Start to Regress,” Today’s Parent, January 29, 2013, https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/preschool/when-your-kids-start-to-regress/) Toddlers might become clingy or defiant as they adjust. They might talk in baby talk or have potty accidents as they learn to cope with the change in the family dynamic. They feel like they have to compete for the attention and love of their parents, who are exhausted and usually overwhelmed with managing newborn life again. Change is hard, but as grown-ups we are not called to be spiritual toddlers, regressing into selfishness and competition. Believers are grounded in the love of Christ. This means our focus is on loving others well, not our own status, success, or spotlight. By seeking to keep our lives centered on God we can avoid the envy, anger, and disappointment that comes with competition and instead show grace and love, rejoicing in the good things God does in the lives of others.
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