Mar 16

Mar 16 The Thief Of Joy

I collect quotes. To date, my Pinterest " ~ q u o t e s ~ " board has 633 pins... oops! One that has stood out from all the others is by Theodore Roosevelt. He said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."

I hate to admit it, but comparison is something I struggle with. I often catch myself doing this. It can be anything from material possessions, an #ootd (outfit of the day), vacations, babies, job promotions, rock'n beach bodies... the list goes on!

I know I am not alone in this struggle. It's in our human nature to compare, but that doesn't make it okay. Theodore Roosevelt hit the nail on the head. When I compare myself to another person, I don't have joy. I feel inadequate, discontent, and ungrateful for what I do have.

When I feel the urge to compare, I try to do two things. Firstly, I pray for the other person. I thank God for their blessings. On the outside, we can give off these Instagram-filtered vibes. I think we all both unconsciously and consciously, try to present ourselves in the most flattering light, while minimizing our flaws and weaknesses. I say all this to say- let's not compare our inside to someone else's outside.

To illustrate this point, after my second pregnancy loss, I found it hard to be around pregnant women and babies. It had absolutely nothing to do with them, and everything to do with me. At the time I was working through my losses, fears and misplaced guilt and shame. When a friend of mine posted a pregnancy announcement shortly after losing "Max," I made sure to congratulate her. She thanked me for the well-wishes and disclosed something I didn't know. Her baby was the result of IVF... a success story after a long journey! I'll never forget that conversation as it reminded me of this:

After thanking God for their blessings, I begin to thank God for my blessings. Gratitude is powerful in shaping perspective. I have so much for be grateful for!