Comparison Is Expensive

I think comparison has become one of the most expensive habits in modern life. Not financially. Emotionally. Spiritually. Relationally.

Because comparison has a way of stealing joy. I’ve been guilty of it myself. Looking at someone else’s success. Someone else’s opportunities. Someone else’s possessions. And forgetting the blessings God had already placed in my own life.

The trouble with comparison is that there is no finish line. There will always be someone with a bigger house. A newer car. A larger bank account. And if we build our happiness on keeping up, peace will always remain just beyond our reach.

I’ve learned that gratitude and comparison cannot comfortably live together. One pushes the other out. And perhaps that’s why grateful people often seem happier. They’ve stopped looking sideways. They’ve learned to look upward.

Jesus never compared Himself to others. His identity rested in His Father’s love. And perhaps ours should too.

Epictetus wrote: “Do not seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen.” And perhaps peace begins with acceptance.