Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” – Psalm 139:13-16
Insight: Comparison is the great thief of joy. Just look at the word and break it down; Compare- I- sin. It sets us up for failure and great pain. God hates when we compare ourselves to others because He hand crafted us to be as unique as Snowflakes- no two are alike. In many cases, we are comparing ourselves to a mirage, an ideal that someone or is presenting to us that in all likelihood is a far cry from reality. Admit it: We all compare ourselves to others at times in our life, but the big question is why? When we compare ourselves, it is usually out of a position of self-pity or a mindset of lack. We say things to ourselves like I wish I looked like they do, or I wish I had their life or I wish I could have a job like theirs or I wish I could handle my kids like they do. In other words, they’re so much…. (Fill in the blank) than I am. You can instantly feel the self-pity welling up in you the moment you begin to think like this. Self- Pity is a derivative of the comparison game and it absolutely will steal your joy, diminish your witness for God and allow the enemy to take you down if you allow it to fester in your life. Social media is the devil’s playground for comparison. It is crushing our children’s self-image by providing impossible to compete with narratives that in most cases are false to begin with. People love to project an image, but they still have to put their head on a pillow at night, and my experience tells me many times their reality is far different than the image they try to project. Comparison steals our joy and leaves us in a state of depression.
On the other hand, we can rejoice and be glad that we are unique! God made only one of us and no one is exactly like us. God knew us before we were even formed, Psalm 139 above proclaims, and He has a unique plan for our lives. Yes, we all go through hardships and sometimes it appears that other people may have it a lot better or easier than we do, but we never know what someone else is really feeling deep down in their soul. Many people that appear all together on the outside, could be literally imploding on the inside under a cavalcade of sin, guilt and shame. Most people don’t lead with their problems on their Facebook page, they lead with how they want you to think they are. God’s word is full of His promises on how special we are to Him and how much He loves us. In Ephesians chapter 1, it mentions among other things that we are chosen, loved, adopted, redeemed, and cherished. What more could we need then to find our joy in His eternal promises.God knows us and loves us individually. Don’t let comparison rob you of that joy!
Prayer: Father God, thank you that we are all uniquely made. We all are known by you and lavishly loved by you. Help us to find our identity in Christ alone and what He did on the cross to prove that love for us, taking our sin on his body so that we could be redeemed and made new through Him. Give us strength to not give in to the temptation to compare ourselves and our lives to other people. We will never know what is truly going on in their souls. Instead, help us to find joy in the beautiful fact that no matter what happens, you love us and one day will bring us safely back to our eternal home. That joy is not circumstantial, it is much deeper than that. Praise God! Amen.
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