"Stay in your lane." 

Now admittedly, this was a snarky attempt to get my 3rd period to stop tattling on each other for things they could very much solve on their own, but what I didn't realize is that this very phrase would teach me some crucial things about comparison within my own life.

There are two kinds of people when it comes to lanes and driving. Some people think it's a heinous crime to drive in the left lane and that it should only be reserved for passing, and others are far less dogmatic because they find it to be a convenient alternative to the overcrowded right lane. My dad is the former and I tend to ascribe to the latter. I admit it, I'm a frequent left lane driver, but the reason for it is 99% of the time not because it annoys right-lane legalists, rather it's because the left lane is often less crowded. You see, when I drive, I like to have the most margin in front of me and behind me that I can so I can worry about myself and often that preferred atmosphere is found within the left lane because of all the fun-loving, right lane legalists that I mentioned before are in the right lane. I like it because it's comfortable and I don't have to worry about following the speed of someone else and getting too close because they're slow, or someone tailing my rear end for not going fast enough. 

Perhaps a better-suited example is horse racing. Often horses have something called blinders put on them when they race. These block their peripheral vision and allow them to see only what's in front of them and not what's to the left or right. In doing this, the horse can focus on the race in front of them. 

In much the same way, when I stay in my own lane, I am less likely to compare because there are fewer people in front and behind me; I am forging my OWN path. When I stay in my lane, those in the lanes next to me move from being competitors to becoming co-laborers. 

Lately, God's been really putting me through a season of "staying in my lane." What I mean by this is He's been teaching me how to focus on my own journey, my own successes, and my own growth rather than focusing on and comparing to that of others. This is not to say I don't celebrate others' accomplishments when they come or that I don't ever find myself investing in others' lives; heck, lanes merge all the time! But in the day-to-day, I am focusing on what God has called ME to do. I am no longer focusing on how I can get the perfect relationship like Sally and Bob; that's not my lane. I am no longer worrying about what Mary thinks about me and wondering if she approves of me; that's not my lane. I am no longer questioning my own personality and unique giftings and comparing them with Jane's whom I deem to be superior to mine; that's not my lane. 

My lane is teaching the students of the next generation and loving what I get to do. 

My lane is an affinity for pop culture and an inclination to know far too much about boybands and movie stars.

My lane is loving reading and writing and sharing that with others.

My lane is learning to love the beautiful parts of my personality even though others may not understand them (thank you Enneagram). 

My lane is working on staying in my lane and killing comparison. 

My lane is finishing up my Master's Degree. 

My lane is not worrying about what others think about me. 

My lane is looking forward to new things both big and small like my vacation or the goals I have for my department at work next year. 

The bottom line is, my lane is not your lane and your lane is not my lane. And just as a horse without blinders gets distracted from his own race and slows down, or a car drifts into the other lane when they shift their focus to the cars in the lanes beside them, focusing on any lane other than my own is cause for disaster. 

I share all this because I know comparison is not something that I struggle with alone. I share this to encourage you but also to challenge you. What is your lane? Who do you want to be in your lane? Find it and own it. No one can do your lane like you can.