Theodore Roosevelt famously said that “Comparison is the thief of joy” and this is almost inevitable in our lives too. We see a neighbor get a promotion, new car or a friend move into a new home. We look at their happy marriage, beautiful children or new gadgets. We are bombarded with these things everywhere, every day on social media. As good as they look, it’s tempting to compare what others have with what we own.
“How did they get so much favor and blessing?” we wonder. Then we begin to compare our lives and look at discontent with what we have and feel straight up inadequate with ourselves. And this steals our joy in living this life.
Comparison brings discontent
Comparison is a quiet thief and not just that, it can kill our dreams; it makes us blind to God’s everyday goodness in our lives; and it poisons our identity in the Lord. By trying to be someone else whom God has not designed us to be violates our joyful-natured identity and God’s purpose in our lives.
Comparison is the evil sister of discontent. It tries to have what others have and accumulates more unsatisfaction. If you have ever been in this trap and you are losing joy and meaning in life, this is the time to be free in the Lord and to be a truly joyful child of God again!
God knows your desires, and you don’t have to be shy to ask our Abba. It’s our Father’s delight that He sees our desires come to pass in His own way and His own time. Go back to the unexhausted and genuine source of your joy, Jesus.
As the psalmist says, delight comes before desire. “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” knowing that no desires have ever equaled the joy that the presence of God can bring. Let the joy of the Holy Spirit restore you and overflow in your life. Don’t let comparison or the inferior pleasures of this world sway you nor steal your joy again.
Also read: 7 Ps to ensure happiness in 2021
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