Today as I looked at social media, everyone seemed to be doing something interesting. Yeah, I was comparing myself with others. Here I was, cleaning toilets, washing dishes, nursing kids back to health and everyone else was in fantastic locations, doing fantastic things while eating fantastic food. Comparison is a bad, bad idea, no matter how many times it shows up in my life.
I realize that I can keep on being defeated by the effects of Comparison (none of them are good) or I can learn how to manage the urge to compare myself to others. Here's how I'm managing it:
God loves me. It's simple, but this truth impacts the very soul of me. God loves me so much He created me for such a time as this. This is the time to be wife and mother. He created me to clean toilets and wash dishes and to be sure kids stay as germ-free as they can. God gave me this life so I dare not think that the abundance He gave me is "less than." Now friends, we're all affected by bad circumstances (loss, grief, sickness, etc) every now and then. If you are navigating one of those, please know that your Heavenly Father will get you through it.
Be happy for others. It takes a level of maturity and humility but I believe that this is possible and this is healthy. Here's the way I think: "So, you are living the dream I have? I am going to congratulate you from my heart and I will celebrate you. I am not where you are my friend, but today it's not about me, it's about YOU and your accomplishment." This mindset allows me to be sincerely happy for others as I "rejoice with those who rejoice." I often go ahead and pray that God will bless that person even more. I'd be lying to you if I told you I never experienced jealousy. I quickly realized how ungodly that is, repent and ask God to fill my heart with true joy and love for others.
That social media image might not God's best for me. How many times have you heard "the heart wants what it wants?" We are a people who are driven by emotions. Instead, when I allow God to guide me, I surrender to His perfect plan for my life which is ideal. Take my wedding for example. We planned our dream wedding 11 years ago. In the course of the year we got engaged I got a job offer out of State so things changed drastically. To make a long story short, God gave me everything I needed in the simplicity of a living room wedding with 7 people in attendance. Our marriage journey has had a foundation of Christian love and it has been a blessing. I often think about my "dream" wedding plans. I keep them in a journal and we laugh about it at times. I'm thankful that God gave us what we needed.
Jealousy and Comparison are not a popular topics and most won't admit to it. I pray that you find tools to manage it. The first step is always to pray, repent and ask God to guide you. He's a very present help in your time of need.
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