i am a pharisee

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

So many times in my life I am comparing myself to others and thinking how much better pff I am than they are. I have thought to myself more than once, "why do they get the life I want when they are so far from God it's ridiculous," and "whoa, Im glad Im not in their situation - I would never let myself stoop that low." But I would stoop that low - I do stoop that low.

What the heck is wrong with this picture? I am what is wrong with this picture. How am I loving people when I am so focused on their crap and so hidden about my own crap? I can point out someone's junk in maybe a minute of meeting them. I have them all figured out and can almost rank them spiritually - but me, I am always at the top of the class...in my own mind. Which I am SO not!!!! I HATE that my brain gets like this.

Help me to recognize my need for grace.