I had never heard of “the ladders to nowhere.”* Nor had I heard of “the ladder game of hell.” **

Until today.

I’m reading a 31-day devotional book on Shame by Esther Liu. In today’s reading (Day 5), she writes about the game we play with our emotions. If you struggle with shame because of X,Y,Z, then the solution to get rid of shame is to fix X,Y,Z. It is likened to climbing ladders. Each ladder represents a standard we live by, whether physical beauty, intelligence, ministry success, or something. The higher you are on the ladder, the better you feel about yourself. The lower you are the more you feel resigned to a lesser, shame-filled life. We tend to look at those above us on our ladders and feel self-condemnation or envy. We look at the people below us and feel superior, even judgmental. We look at the people right under us and worry they might surpass us.  Ladder-climbing doesn’t ultimately deliver on its promises. That’s why they are called “the ladders to nowhere”* or “the ladder game of hell.”**

Here’s my take: we often spend an awful amount of time and energy  (especially emotional) trying to get rid of shame by comparing. We spend time comparing our lesser with their greater. The “I wish I had/could game” is hard to play. Instead of focusing on our strengths, we lay eyes on on our weaknesses and compare those with the strengths of others. We either feel superior to or lesser than depending on what we are comparing. 

God has written His name on my/your heart. It is His stamp of approval. That is enough to know I belong to Him and He takes me as I am, not as I think I am, nor as I think I should be. And that is worth far more than all the gold in Alaska. 

*David Powlison

**Esther Liu