The Thief Of Joy

We’ve all done it. Scrolling through social media, we see a friend’s picture-perfect home, a colleague’s fabulous vacation, or a celebrity’s glamorous life, and we can’t help but compare. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” yet we continue to fall into this trap. Why do we subject ourselves to this unnecessary pain?

Recently, I found myself doing just that. I was admiring the beautifully decorated homes on Instagram, filled with charming fireplaces, festive entrance tables, and walls adorned with perfectly curated family photos. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy as I looked around my own home. My fireplace has decorations that rarely change, my entrance table is cluttered with daily life, and my walls remain mostly bare, even though I’ve lived here for three years. Oh, and let’s not forget the Christmas tree that stayed up for three years straight!

But as I sat there comparing, I remembered something my sister once told me: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” This quote reminds me that comparison leaves us either feeling inferior and bitter or superior and vain—both of which are traps.

2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV

¹² For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

As I’ve been reading about Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, I’m struck by how the Lord used skilled people to construct the sanctuary.

Exodus 36:1 NIV

¹ So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”

Imagine if one of these craftsmen’s wives had thought, “Oh, great, I married a tent maker,” while secretly wishing she had married a priest or prophet instead. Little did she know that her husband’s skills were a divine gift meant for the Lord’s work.

Maybe decorating isn’t my strong suit, and maybe my writing skills aren’t where I want them to be. But perhaps I am exactly who the Lord intended me to be, and so are you.

So, let’s stop comparing ourselves to others. Instead, let’s focus on the unique gifts God has given us. We all have a purpose, and our worth isn’t found in how our lives stack up against others. It’s found in fulfilling the role He designed for us.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!

Let’s end with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to resist the urge to compare myself to others and to find contentment in who You have made me to be. May I always find joy in Your presence and peace in knowing that I am exactly who You intended me to be. Amen.