Cooper the Comparer

 

 

On the edge of a town just outside a big jungle lived a little boy named Cooper. For the most part Cooper lived a happy life, full of adventure. He and his brother spent their days tromping the jungle, making friends of the animals, and searching for treasures. There was however, one small problem with Cooper; Cooper was a comparer. Cooper compared himself with his older brother, his younger sister, his neighbors, even to people he saw and did not know. When he began comparing himself to others he always came up short. His older brother Cruiser was a faster runner, his younger sister Mattie was a stronger singer, his neighbor Chip was could hit a baseball farther, and his Uncle Skip was better at trivia.

 

One day, after coming up particularly short in his comparisons, Cooper walked uptown for a slice of pizza. Wise Wendell the pizza maker could sense that Cooper was down in the dumps. Wise Wendell, who was also inquisitive, asked Cooper to explain his sadness. Cooper explained that when he looked around, everyone else had something he didn’t. It seemed to him that everyone else was just a little bit better, a little bit bigger, a little bit brighter, a little bit more of something or other….than he was.

 

“I see you have a case of the comparisons Cooper,”said Wendell. “How about learning a lesson from some pizza?” Wendell went on to explain. “Which part of my pizza do you think is the most important, which part is better than the rest? Is it the crust, the sauce, the cheese...what do you think Cooper?”

 

Cooper thought and thought. He liked cheese, but cheese without crust and sauce is not pizza, cheese without crust and sauce is….just cheese! He liked crust, but pizza without cheese and sauce is not pizza…. it is just bread. He also liked pizza sauce, but sauce without the crust and cheese….is just a mess!“I like them all”, said Cooper. “They each add a special flavor to the pizza, they are different but they are all important.”

 

“And so are people”, said Wendell. “God made each person uniquely, and yet with purpose. God does not need you to be like other people, He needs you to be YOU! When you are busy comparing yourself, wishing you were like another, or trying to be another, you are missing out on the great opportunities that are yours because you are YOU. Cruiser and Mattie and Chip and Skip are all valuable people with many purposes and talents, but so is a boy I know named Cooper. One of you is not more valuable than another just because your gifting is different, you each add some spice and meaning to life.

 

So it was that Cooper the Comparer stopped his constant comparision. Instead, he began to to appreciate his own uniqueness. Sometimes Cooper felt like the big cheese...on top of the pizza. Other times he felt more like a little spice floating unnoticed in the pizza sauce. Cooper came to realize it is not so much what part you play, but how you play the part. And he is hoping you remember his story each time you eat a slice of pizza.