Comparison is a thief of joy!

Comparison, a dirty little word most women don't like to admit is an issue in their lives. You know the woman in your life that you look at and say I could never be friends with that girl! I found myself doing that recently, those exact words came right out of my mouth to my husband after he met one of our neighbors and told me about her. I told him, I know who she is and we could never be friends. He looked at me in confusion. Why, he asked? Because she's got it all together and I could never keep up with her. Now I couldn't believe those words were coming out of my mouth. You see I saw her on my friends fb page and glanced over her profile then I saw her at certain events and decided that is a woman I must stay clear of. Wow,what was I so afraid of. Why would I judge her from the outside? What is it that's in me that this emotion rises up. I know most of us have had this reaction to someone in our life but have you ever asked why? Lets get real for a minute and dig deep. So as I reflected back on this woman and I asked myself, why did I not like her? She was pretty than me, her home was decorated perfectly, her kids always had the right outfit on, her marriage looked great and who has that clean of a car? Come on tell me you haven't quietly said these things to yourself when you came across that threatening woman. We secretly size up other women around us and judge our lives accordingly. STOP!!!!! Honestly this kind of behavior will put you in a full spin meltdown! Depression will slowly creep its way in, shame,guilt and a sense of not measuring up will be your constant companions. Your self esteem will slowly rot away because your right you can't measure up to something that isn't real. You see you have created this illusion of the perfect woman. Yes her house may look beautiful, her children dressed accordingly and whatever else you've decide about this person may be true. But what your saying is she's better than you because of her circumstances and comparing her life up against yours makes you believe your not good enough. So let's find out why we compare. 1. IT'S A BAD HABIT. Your thought patterns determine your future. So let's get your mind off the external things. Focusing on others will suck the joy out of life. Colossians 3:2 says, Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 2. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD NEEDS SOME WORK. You've lost you inner self confidence in the Lord. Your focus has shifted to the outer world. Finding our deep self worth in the Lord will put a stop to comparison. Our self worth is not about our looks, the clothes we wear, our performance or your dress size, etc.. 1Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.3. God has a plan for your life. Focus on what He wants you to do and not what others are doing. Every life is different and perfect in His will. My prayer for you is that you find peace in each and every person you meet and embrace their lives without comparison and wish and pray nothing but the best for them and to focus on your relationship with the Lord to stay grounded in what is important and true. Adieu