The Joy Thief

As I was considering what my second blog post would be, I thought I should be totally transparent and deal with something that has been an issue for me my whole life.  I suppose I’m not the only one who has dealt with this particular subject on a personal level and perhaps this revelation I received could help somebody else.  Hence, my decision…

“Comparison is the thief of joy” – Theodore Roosevelt. I found this quote one day and it stuck with me. This simple little sentence filled with so much truth inspired me to examine all that it meant and it impacted me to such an extent, I had to write about it.  Comparing ourselves to others definitely is a joy thief.  I would add it is also the thief of progress, dreams, goals, and worst of all – purpose.

Purpose is defined by dictionary.com as:  1 – the reason for which something exists, or is done, made, used, etc.; 2- determination, resoluteness

By comparing ourselves to others, we usually find we fall short of some, are about even with some, and are perhaps superior to a few.  If we are busy contemplating how we measure up to others, good, bad, or otherwise, we waste precious time we could be using on discovering and fulfilling our purpose – the reason we exist.

Discovering and fulfilling purpose is indeed a journey and in order to have joy in that journey, we must stop comparing ourselves with others.  I don’t know how many times I kept myself from stepping out to do something for fear I wouldn’t measure up.  Was I as qualified as this person or as talented as that person? Would people look at me and think, “How’d she get this chance? What makes her so special?”  It crippled me.

Comparison brought fear, anxiety, doubt, confusion, instability, and regret (to name a few).  Not great company and certainly not ideal for moving forward with confidence into new places.  It got me thinking…if the joy of the Lord is our strength, how strong can we be without it? Simple – our human strength will fail and we will be left weak and powerless. Any determination or resoluteness we may have started with will be gone before long.  Yes, it’s true…God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness but we must be willing vessels of His strength and choose His joy, which means we must also disallow any “joy thieves” from entering our hearts and minds.  Comparison is most definitely a joy thief!

When I find myself letting comparison creep in my thoughts, I now quickly remember if God called me to do something, He also equips me with what HE knows I need to do it.  He’s not concerned with how I compare to everybody else so why should I be?  The best and most exciting thing about this is it is most definitely He who works in and through me and any accomplishments I enjoy are completely because of Him!  If left to do it on my own, I would fall short every time.  So, I depend wholly on Him and go for it giving Him ALL the glory!

Comparison is a trap.  It’s not from God and it’s destructive in more ways than one.  We must refuse to fall into the trap of comparison and instead find our strength in the joy of the Lord, confidently knowing that WHATEVER He calls us to do, we can do by His anointing, His strength, His favor, and all for His glory!

Until my next post, I pray the Lord would bless you all richly and give you the confidence that He has equipped you for the purpose He has called you to. All you have to do is trust in Him.

Much love and many blessings - Nancy