I got a confession to make. Sometimes, I feel insecure about my piety. And I bet I’m not the only one. Sometimes, it feels uncomfortable being around somebody who’s more outwardly pious than you. It can make you feel inadequate. It can make you feel like you’re being judged.

The opposite is true too. Sometimes, I wonder if people will think I’m weak or stupid for acknowledging a higher power. But even worse, I worry that people will think I’m judging them. That they’ll think that I somehow believe myself better than them (I TOTALLY DON’T!!) because I talk about God more, or at all.

It’s times like that I have to tell that voice of inner doubt to shove it, and remember that faith is not a competition. Our relationship with the relative “saint” or “sinner” are irrelevant. At the end of the day, the only spiritual relationship that really matters is the one we have with God.

And who knows? Maybe we have plenty to learn from them. Maybe that “saint” can give us a few pointers on growing in our faith. And maybe that “sinner” can teach us a thing or two about quiet humility. And both can absolutely teach us about not making superficial presumptions about others, if we get to know them better!