“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
This pithy little saying by Theodore Roosevelt is not just for Pinterest pics or Instagram images. It’s a truth we’ve all read, heard, and—let’s be honest—experienced since we were on the elementary school playground.
In our hearts we know we should be celebrating the successes and blessings of others rather than allowing the ugliness of comparison to crush all the joy.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
But it’s hard sometimes. Our natural proclivity is to feel a stab of, Why isn’t that me? or, It came so easily for her! or, I’ll never have that. Sometimes we pray it. Sometimes we yell it. Sometimes we are horrified to even think it, and swiftly stuff it down. Regardless, this ugly comparison steals the beautiful joy we could be a part of as someone else finds their success.
In 2022, I feel we should be clutching our pom-poms ready to cheer our people on in every scrap of good news we hear about—a baby or a book deal, a husband or a house, a ministry or a master’s degree, a milestone reached or dream realized.
“All tides rise when we see a sister making this world a better place with her gifts” Lysa TerKeurst, “Uninvited.”
We know that we are all uniquely created, each of us with our own set of gifts, talents, and abilities to make a difference in our world. We also have very different paths, timeframes, and capacities.
The good news? There is room for us all—all our babies and books and husbands and houses and ministries and master’s degrees and milestones and dreams.
So, let’s love one another well and go out of our way to be cheerleaders for our sisters who are killing it out there succeeding in both humungous and humble ways. I’m raising my hot-pink cheerleading pom-poms for YOU, friend! I hope you’ll do the same.
