Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s exhausting.

Many single moms want to be married one day. There are many married moms, sadly, who want to be single. Some older women wish they were younger. And younger girls who wish they were older. Many of us yearn to be thinner, wealthier, or more influential. We yearn for our children to be older so they can do more for themselves or younger because we miss them. This is because we have not learned to get our satisfaction in Christ alone. We think the bank account size, kids' performance, new job, degree, dress size, or new husband will fix discontentment. It will not. Comparison is a thief of all joy and gratitude.

In our daily Scripture, we see Paul writing to the Galatian church, telling them to "keep their eyes on their own paper" in so many words! God has called each of us to a life built for us. We must run our race. God has a purpose to prosper us, giving us a future and a hope. He has anointed us for tasks, given us our children, and gifted us with unique skills. His timing is perfect. He gives beauty in the most devastating of ashes. We don't have to rush seasons, comparing our lives to others. We don't have to secretly yearn for what someone else has. The Lord has a plan for us. His blessings are plentiful. Comparison is exhausting. Jumping into someone else’s race will only leave us limping and deeply exhausted.

Comparison will steal your joy! It will make you feel like you are on a hamster wheel and can’t get ahead. Don’t look at what she has, what she’s doing, or what she’s accomplishing. Don’t look at how her kids perform at school. Focus on the Lord. He will give instructions for your life that create contentment, peace, and joy. Here are some ways to do that.

1. Be grateful. The Lord has been good. He has kept you when you couldn’t keep yourself. He has given health and peace. He has provided a place to live and clothing. He has given friendships when you felt alone. He has provided a family that stuck close during a devastating loss. He has provided meals when you couldn't afford them yourself. He offered a place to lay down in the greenest of pastures when you saw chaos ensuing. Our God is faithful, everlasting, and the giver of life and hope. If we sit down and take inventory, God's track record has always been good. Have you focused on His provision and goodness or an endless list of wants and needs? Take the time to rejoice today in the goodness of God.
2. Grow in confidence. What does God say about who you are? Has a lack of confidence in Him made you insecure? Have you focused on the temporary, carnal things of this world to define you? Has past trauma stripped you of your confidence? Has insecurity caused you to compare yourself to others, convincing yourself you'll never be enough? Take the time to list what the Lord says about you – not what you have said about yourself, not what others have spoken over you – what the Lord has said.
3. Rejoice when others get blessed. Learn to be happy for others when they are receiving blessings. There is always a reaping and sowing season. You may be in the midst of sowing good seeds right now, and they are simply seedlings beneath the surface. You see no evidence of the future fruit they will yield. The fruit is coming. Rejoice now for others as they are in their reaping season. God is not sitting in Heaven worried that He'll run out of supply or blessing. We can rejoice with our friends as they marry, secure a new job, move into a lovely home, or have children who achieve great milestones. We can rejoice when someone's ministry grows more quickly, or their book is published first. The Lord has a lane for us, and we can rejoice knowing that our victory will be in His timing and way.

Points to Ponder:

• Are there times when you have felt jealous as you looked at others' lives? How did it make you feel? How might you combat that in the future?
• Make a daily list of 3 things you are grateful for that happened each day. This simple habit creates a heart posture of gratitude.