"Mythical Me" - Book Reflections
by Thomas B. Grosh IV, CMDA Northeast Regional Director
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Richella Parham begins Mythical Me: Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison (InterVarsity Press, 2019) by sharing her husband’s stinging response to her chronicling of a day relating to friends:
Richella, you compare yourself with everyone you meet. You pick out the best attributes of each person and measure how you stack up against them…You’ve created for yourself a mythical composite woman, and you think she is the standard you should meet. But that woman doesn’t exist.
This observation inspired Richella to wrestle with her comparativistic approach to life, rooted in the awkwardness of a birthmark due to Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome.
I am sharing Mythical Me with you because I found the book offering an insightful lens to and a path of freedom from the constant comparativism all too present not only in our current culture, but also in my own life and ministry. As you no doubt have noticed, comparitivism is accentuated in contexts such as higher education and healthcare. To address this concern, I encourage you to join me in responding to the questions found at the close of the chapter (see below), discuss your reflections with prayer partners / small groups, and if time permits read Chapter 1.
When have you felt that you were stuck in a comparison trap?
Have you tried to escape your own comparison trap? How?
Have you ever held yourself to a mythical composite ideal of who or how you should be? If so, describe how that mythical composite person looks and acts.
How often do thoughts of comparison enter your mind? For one week, keep a journal or take a few minutes for nightly review of the day, paying special attention to when and where these thoughts came to you. Don’t berate yourself for these moments. Just take a deep breath and offer them to God. If you are meeting with a group, talk about what you are noticing.
Stay tuned for additional insights and questions from Mythical Me. Keep fixing your eyes on, worshipping, and pressing on in the upward hope of our Lord and Savior.
To God be the glory!