What are you striving toward???

Do you ever compare yourself to others?  Does the grass seem to  look greener on other lawns??

Comparison is a  dangerous trap we all can  easily fall into.  It can definitely be  a stronghold in our lives if we are not on guard.

"The best thing I can do for my congregation is to quit comparing myself to other pastors and simply strive to be genuinely me."  ...Words by Brady Boyd, Pastor and author of the book, Addicted to Busy.   

Last night, as I was going through some old papers I came across a note with the above quote at the top.  Underneath it were my thoughts about these words and I want to share that with you today.

I think the words from this pastor have application for us all.  God designed each one of us in a special and unique way.  Our lives are not meant to look the same.  We are not meant to do everything the same way as our neighbors, friends, or even our family.  Our pieces of the puzzle look different than everyone else's pieces.  But the beautiful thing is that all our different pieces fit together with everyone else's to make one BIG, beautiful picture God is creating every day.

These words are not just applicable for this pastor, we can take these words and make them personal--We can say to ourselves, "The best thing I can do for my family, and for God, is to stop comparing myself to other (moms/wives) and simply strive to be genuinely me."  

Comparison is a waste of time.  Unless someone is a close friend, we really don't have any idea what is going on in other peoples lives and what they are going through.   ...And when we do know the details of what is going on, we should be on our knees in prayer for those individuals, not using their circumstances to feed the destructive stronghold of comparison.

An unintentional, but very negative by-product of social media is comparison.  In social media we get a snap shot of someone else's life and it is easy to think that person/couple/family has a "perfect" life.  Spoiler Alert...Their lives are NOT perfect!  No one's is.  

Now I am not faulting anyone for sharing  the "best" parts of their lives.  I am guilty of it too...but when we are on social media we need to be aware of the pitfall of comparison.  We can be on guard, turn our thinking around and share in that person's joy.

If you have a tendency to fall into the comparison trap, like a do, I encourage you to spend some getting to know yourself better.  Learn your strengths, your passions; get to know your family members better, learn their strengths and passions.  If you haven't thought about your own strengths and passions lately, you might even be surprised to learn that some have changed.   

The best way to really know yourself better is to spend time with The Lord.  Get to know what His words says about you.  Our Heavenly Father cares for you deeply.  He loves you immensely and He wants to bless you beyond measure.  He made you in His image and He gave you strengths and talents that no one else has.  His plan and will for your life is perfect, you just have to be willing and ready to live it.

Let's strive "To be the most excellent we can be; and not strive for someone else's excellent."

Blessings for you today.

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