Comparison

Welcome back friends! Another week and yet another thing I realized I need to work on. The list just never ends ;) BUT I think recognizing and working on faults is a good thing! So join me this week as we talk about... Comparison.

(Also you may notice there are no pictures for this blog! That is because I don’t want the focus to be on pictures, imagines, poses that I have thought about for my blog. I don’t want to create a certain image but instead just put the emphasis on my words and allow you guys to process them more!)

“Comparison is the thief of joy”

I’m not sure who said that but man oh man is it ever true. If you really take a step back and look at all the times you compared yourself to someone else, did you feel happy after? I mean perhaps you did if you considered yourself above them, but even then we shouldn’t have to compare to make ourselves feel better. For me I never feel good when comparing because I always view people as better than me. Even if I don’t know the person I imagine their life as better, happier, more fulfilled, prettier, complete.

Comparing is one of those things that steals away our happiness and joy and places it on other items or people or achievements. “If only I had that purse… If only I had longer hair... If only I was skinnier... If only I was smart like she is…” The list goes ON and ON.

So why put ourselves through this?? Why spend hours searching for clothes like that one girl? Why spend countless times trying to get my hair just like someone else’s? Why spend my time at the gym thinking about how my body compares to someone else’s instead of celebrating my own body and strength? I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting and waiting for the golden answer… but I don’t have one answer for you friends. The truth is the habit of comparison could be stemmed from our own insecurities, lack of confidence, God issues (going back to that heavenly hole I talked about in one of my earlier posts), and many other reasons! Great huh? ;)

But here is one thing I DO know friends. We do not have to compare. It is a choice, like many other things in life. We are not called to live a life constantly wanting what others have. When we compare ourselves and our accomplishments to someone else’s I believe it not only hurts us and our heart, but Gods too. He created us in His image. WOW. But he did not create us to all be the same. He did not want a world of people who all looked the same, talked the same, did the same things, etc. He designed us each to be unique and perfect in order to accomplish our own mission that He has placed on our lives.

Here is a little example to help you and myself understand better! Imagine you created something, let’s say a person made of clay, and once you were finished it came to life! It started talking, walking and living like a person does. But then this person goes around town and sees everyone else. Your creation sees that it doesn’t have long legs like somebody else. They notice that their face is rounder than somebody else’s. Your person goes home and looks in the mirror crying and wishing they were made differently. Wouldn’t that just break your heart? I know I would want to go down there and comfort my person, telling them just how beautiful they are! I would want to tell them my vision behind making them! I would not want to hear them tearing themselves apart and wishing to look or be or act a different way. So we need to snap out of this cycle of comparison because like I said it not only hurts us but God too!

Luckily we have a God that will comfort us and wants to! We can turn to Him in times when we feel not as good, pretty or smart. We can look to our creator and have a one on one conversation with Him! We can also turn to His word and see the truth behind who we are. We can be reassured and reminded that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. We were not just thrown together. We were each designed for a purpose and you purpose will not be the same as somebody else’s.

As I head into this week I could choose to be miserable and be looking around at everybody else comparing myself to them, OR I could celebrate myself for who I am, celebrate others for their own unique accomplishments and thank God for making me exactly who I am. Lets try this together this week. Accepting and even LOVING ourselves so that we can be confident and secure in our identities through Christ. Let’s encourage one another but not compare.

XOXO

Maggie