The Downfall of Comparison

I am convinced that act of comparison is one of our worst enemies. The more we compare, the less satisfied we are with our current state. If I compare myself to another, most often I am looking at someone who is or has what I wish I did and suddenly I feel inadequate. If I compare my husband or my son to another's, often I find that I expect more of them than I would have previously. My heart becomes steeped in envy and ungrateful for the many gifts and blessings that I currently have.

Also, more often than not, I'm comparing what I have with a filtered version of what someone else has. How many of us turn our mugs, layer the books, or set the stage just right, before snapping a pic to post on instagram?

Example: I recently read a home-birth story and saw the pictures that were taken for them and began to feel like my home wasn't going to be cozy or comfy enough for a home-birth. It's smaller than some other homes and it probably won't look quite as glamourous as it did for this family…

But in all reality, they hired a photographer who's primary job is to make it all look beautiful, and cozy. Their job is to avoid the mess and to make everything look just right. The beauty in it all is much more than having everything perfect, but in the little beauty that arrives.

I don't have to have what someone else has in order to know that I am loved and blessed. I didn't marry someone else's husband, therefore I should never compare my husband to a man I'm definitely not interested in committing to live life beside. I didn't bear and birth another woman's child, I didn't buy that family's home… I've received these gifts for me and my family, and they are beautiful.

All in all, it simply doesn't make sense to compare… so just stop it ;)