The Comparison Game
Good Morning Girls! For the first time in years, I wasn't dreading putting on my swimsuit to go to the beach. I am 20+ pounds lighter than I was last year at this time. I have lost 10% body fat. I know there are still areas to improve on, and I am working hard to do that, but it sure feels good to be happy where I am at as I work towards my new goals.
I packed my beach bag and headed down to the pool feeling great. The concierge set me up with a lounge right on the beach where I could feel the breeze and watch the waves roll in. I got settled in my chair and looked out towards the ocean. This is the life I thought to myself. Then suddenly "She" walked by.......
Who is "She" you ask? "She" is the woman who had the body of a fitness model. She was not skinny, I never envy skinny. She was fit. She had these awesome abs and killer legs, and sexy arms and shoulders. I'm sure you could have bounced a quarter off of any part of her (I wanted to throw my sunscreen bottle at her just to see if it would bounce). She looked fabulous. I looked down at my stomach, not quite as impressive . Then my legs, starting to see some small, teensie-weensie sign of definition (if you look with a magnifying glass). I worked myself over from head to toe. Diagnosis- inadequate, soft, still fat!
I then spent a few minutes guessing what her life was like. I bet "she" can never ever have anything other than chicken and brown rice. I bet "she" has a personal trainer. I bet "she" didn't have two c-sections. I bet "she" spends all her time at the gym and doesn't even play with her kids, if "she" even has kids. I bet "she" is insecure and has to have a perfect body in order to cover up what's going on in the inside.......
C'mon Girls, don't get all high and mighty with me, I know you know exactly what I am talking about! Maybe you don't do that with physical appearance, but you've done it with something. "She" has a nicer husband. "She" has a scrapbook of all of her kids year by year. "She" has the cutest clothes. "She" has a bigger house. "She" never has any problems. We've all got "she's" in our lives. It doesn't matter what form "she" comes in, the result is the same.
You will always lose the comparison game. You will end up feeling jealous, angry, disappointed, depressed, and incomplete. You will lose sight of who you are and what your purpose is. You will minimize the things you have achieved and forget how much you have grown. You will wish you had a life other than the one you have, forgetting that the Lord himself created you to be the person you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are made in His image. Someone else may appear to have the things you want, but if you are seeking the Lord's direction, you are in fact leading the life you were designed to lead!
So Girls, if you are tempted to compare yourself to a "she", please remember it is a lose/lose situation. Instead of meditating on "her", meditate on what the Word says.......
Galatians 6:4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else!
Love you all-
Jen
I packed my beach bag and headed down to the pool feeling great. The concierge set me up with a lounge right on the beach where I could feel the breeze and watch the waves roll in. I got settled in my chair and looked out towards the ocean. This is the life I thought to myself. Then suddenly "She" walked by.......
Who is "She" you ask? "She" is the woman who had the body of a fitness model. She was not skinny, I never envy skinny. She was fit. She had these awesome abs and killer legs, and sexy arms and shoulders. I'm sure you could have bounced a quarter off of any part of her (I wanted to throw my sunscreen bottle at her just to see if it would bounce). She looked fabulous. I looked down at my stomach, not quite as impressive . Then my legs, starting to see some small, teensie-weensie sign of definition (if you look with a magnifying glass). I worked myself over from head to toe. Diagnosis- inadequate, soft, still fat!
I then spent a few minutes guessing what her life was like. I bet "she" can never ever have anything other than chicken and brown rice. I bet "she" has a personal trainer. I bet "she" didn't have two c-sections. I bet "she" spends all her time at the gym and doesn't even play with her kids, if "she" even has kids. I bet "she" is insecure and has to have a perfect body in order to cover up what's going on in the inside.......
C'mon Girls, don't get all high and mighty with me, I know you know exactly what I am talking about! Maybe you don't do that with physical appearance, but you've done it with something. "She" has a nicer husband. "She" has a scrapbook of all of her kids year by year. "She" has the cutest clothes. "She" has a bigger house. "She" never has any problems. We've all got "she's" in our lives. It doesn't matter what form "she" comes in, the result is the same.
You will always lose the comparison game. You will end up feeling jealous, angry, disappointed, depressed, and incomplete. You will lose sight of who you are and what your purpose is. You will minimize the things you have achieved and forget how much you have grown. You will wish you had a life other than the one you have, forgetting that the Lord himself created you to be the person you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are made in His image. Someone else may appear to have the things you want, but if you are seeking the Lord's direction, you are in fact leading the life you were designed to lead!
So Girls, if you are tempted to compare yourself to a "she", please remember it is a lose/lose situation. Instead of meditating on "her", meditate on what the Word says.......
Galatians 6:4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else!
Love you all-
Jen
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