Comparison

Lately I've heard the phrase "comparison is the thief of joy" several times.  This has really made me search my heart.  It seems like the Lord is doing all kinds of things in my heart these days.  I'll save all that for another day,  back to comparison and the danger in it.  Comparing ourselves to our friends, neighbors, family can start so easily and before we know it we are so unhappy with everything we have! This is such a dangerous place to be.  Today I had the thought that it really makes you ungrateful.  Our God is a God who loves thankfulness and I don't want to be in a place of being ungrateful.  Being ungrateful can rob us of all the blessings that he has in store for our lives.  I don't know about you but I want all the blessings!  

The biggest reason comparison is dangerous is because it can and will steal our joy.  When we lose our joy, we lose our strength.  The bible says "the joy of the Lord is our strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)  When we lose it the enemy can come in at our moment of weakness and knock us off our feet.  Now that I am aware of this, I can see many times where I've allowed this to happen to me.  Don't get me wrong here people, there's always grace.  Our savior is always standing there with arms open, ready to give us back our joy as we draw near to him.  

I have really been evaluating my own life throughout this learning process.  I am so bad about comparing myself to my friends.  I often think I am not good enough and I pale in comparison to my friends.  This goes from clothes to personality from anything to everything.  It's really a constant battle in my mind.  I'm so tired of it.  It is a lot of work trying to keep up with everyone.  It is not the way to  peace.  Peace and joy are two things that the world does not have and how can I be that to them if I'm not living in it myself?

I'm challenging you dear reader to search your heart and see the ways you might compare yourself to others.  Let's find our value in Christ and forget about trying to keep up and be someone we weren't created to be.  I'm looking forward to raising a daughter who knows she is valuable and it will have nothing to do with the things she has or doesn't have, it will be her identity in our savior.  

Just a little side note: let's stop being so hard on each other.  I know that I've been hard on others when they are "different" than me.  That's not a good place to be either.  I've been watching Big Brother (guilty pleasure), but the girls are really mean to each other. It is really sad to see.  We as women need to stand up, especially Christian woman, and be kindhearted to one another.  We need to look past the outward appearance and look at the heart.  I know this is so elementary but it is something that we need to be reminded of.  

Just a little food for thought. Thanks for reading.