ICantThinkofATitle

I don't know how to start this off, so I'm just going to get straight to the point.

I am tired of the competition for who's life is the hardest.

I am tired of the world being a huge comparing palace.

In no way has my life been traditionally hard. My parents are still together, my family loves me, my parents are able to pay for my college, etc.

But, just because I have those things doesn't mean my life is perfectly together.

I have struggled with depression since the summer before 9th grade. Sometimes, I'm not sure what causes it. I used to just wake up some mornings and not want to continue on. I physically couldn't do anything. Now, the things I used to do in no way helped out my situation, but still, I was very depressed.

The thing is, I didn't tell anyone that I was depressed. No one knew just how much I was hurting. I could go to school, church, wherever and no one would have a clue how much sadness and hurt I was carrying on my shoulders.

I'm not saying all this to try and gain "Oh, I'm so sorry's", I'm saying this because -- Everyone has a story, and most likely everyone is going through something.

Life in America has become such a competition in everything, that now society isn't just competing for who has the most money, who's the prettiest, nicest house, etc, its gotten to the point that the world we live in is competing for the worst sob story.

So instead of being selfish and continuelly thinking how much worse life is than someone elses, how about taking a moment to look around and think about what that person who just walked by could be going through.

Taking the time to sit down and care about another person, and not compare your life to their's is actually quite healing. Maybe the way they deal with their problems could be a great way for you to deal with yours, or vice versa.

In God's eyes, every human is equal. He cares about every single problem each of us face. So, no sadness is too small for Him. No feelings of depression, anger, guilt or whatever someone is going through is too little, or too grand for Him. If all of these things are able to be taken to Him and viewed equally, than us Christians here on earth must look at everyones problems as equal too.

So in conclusion, take time to listen to other people, and be aware that your neighbor could be going through hard times! Also, never forget that your story is just as valueble as the next person and that you should never have any guilt about sharing your life. If you are taking the time to have kindness toward others, you'll find others who will gladly give kindness and compassion back to you.