Comparison: The Thief of Joy (Women's Ministry)

The thief of joy, this concept that we truly can have joy and delight in the Lord, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of what we have.

But oftentimes, through comparison, it leads to envy, and that really steals our joy.

And envy is something that steals any contentment that we may have had.

And so I want to talk about two different verticals, kind of forming across here with my hands, two different verticals to the concept of envy.

And we are recording this for some of the ladies, but we're going to take off the discussion part so that people don't hear that.

So there's a vertical dimension to envy, right between us and God, our relationship with God, that really results in, it's an issue of a lack of trust paired with a lack of gratitude.

We become envious when in our relationship with God, we don't trust him, or we aren't grateful for what we have.

And then it's a horizontal dimension as well in terms of envy.

In our relationship with others, it's actually rooted in a lack of love for our neighbors.

This may sound weird, but we're going to look at some scriptures to really flesh out what this looks like.

So between us and God, it's a lack of trust and a lack of gratitude.

And with us and others, it's a lack of love for our neighbors.

So I'm going to pose that when we understand that we as believers have the most valuable thing that has ever existed since the dawn of time,

when that truth and that reality hits us to our core, gratitude and thanksgiving is just the natural outpouring of our hearts in response to salvation from death.

When we understand, like, at our core, the most amazing thing we could ever have, the most amazing thing we could ever be, the most amazing thing we could ever do has already been done,

gratitude and thanksgiving and praise is the natural outflow.

And our attention is moved from what we don't have but want toward what we have but don't deserve.

I think that's a really important mind shift that oftentimes when we do end sinning in envy,

it's because we're comparing to people that have what we want but we don't have.

And it's helpful for us to think about what do we have that we don't deserve?

And there's a lot of things we're going to talk about later in the natural world that we actually do have as blessings that we may be taking for granted.

But ultimately, it's our salvation.

So I'm going to ask a couple volunteers in your Bibles, whether it's on your phone or whatever.

I have four verses I'd like us to read out loud and to discuss maybe some common themes we're hearing.

Can I have a volunteer read Romans 5, 8?

Lauren?

Lauren, Romans 5, 8.

Ephesians 2, 8 through 9.

Aubrey, Ephesians 2, 8 through 9.

And then Amanda, can you do 2 Corinthians 5, 21?

5, 21.

2 Corinthians 5, 21.

And then the last one, Romans 8, 31 to 32.

Okay, Mina.

Romans 8, 31 to 32.

Okay, so it's Lauren, Romans 5, 8.

Aubrey, Ephesians 2, 8 through 9.

Amanda, 2 Corinthians 5, 21.

And Mina is in Romans 8, 31 to 32.

So I'm going to ask you guys to read them slowly because everyone's not going to be able to follow along in writing for those that are not auditory processors.

So let's listen to these verses.

And we're going to talk about a common theme that maybe you hear.

Aubrey, can you share Romans 5, 8 with us?

I mean, sorry, Lauren.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.

It is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one knows.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him you might become the righteousness of God.

What then shall we say in response to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

So what are some things that are sticking out to you guys that you're hearing?

He saved us when we were a mess?

It's a gift.

He what now?

It's a gift.

It's a gift.

He knows how to give three gifts.

He died for all of us.

He's given us all things.

He's given us all things.

Yep.

Not a result of works.

Not a result of works.

Yep.

It's not because we deserve it.

Anything else?

They're so nice to see you.

so

so the question really comes down to do you believe that god has been gracious towards you

and giving up his only son for you

do you really believe that you have what you don't deserve and that you actually have it

all things in jesus

and if you believe that god has been gracious towards you

and giving up the most precious thing he could have ever given

do you believe that he would be ungracious and ungenerous towards you

in your current situation

if god was gracious in giving his only son do you think he's going to be

ungracious and ungenerous towards you in whatever your current situation is

and that temptation

to believe that god is withholding good things from you

goes all the way back to the garden of eden

eve thought god is withholding good things from me

therefore i gotta do something about it

and again i'm not going to compare us to men because that would like kind of like be ironic

um

teach back comparison

but i really do believe ladies that this is something that like we do really deeply struggle with

is this concept

and i remember um it was such a blessing to me

it was about a year a year and a half ago

um bailey was spending some listening time praying for me

and she heard the lord say

such a simple phrase

and i have been meditating and chewing on this for like

over a year

she

the lord told bailey to tell me

i'm not withholding anything from you

do you remember that

was this the cabin

huh

was this the cabin

i don't remember

i think it was before that

it was like a long time ago

withholding nothing i think was the phrase you got

withholding nothing

well whether she remembers it or not

it was deeply profoundly impactful

because at the time

i really was where i still am now

like lord why am i not married yet

lord why do i not have the career that i want yet

lord why am i still struggling financially

when before like i was like financial abundance

lord why you know all these different things

um and so i really have had to take some time to wrestle with that

why do i believe he's holding good things for me

because that is not truth

that is not what we see in scripture

um

so yeah that that is an age-old temptation that

it's gonna continue to be a temptation to think

and so we really have to root ourselves

in scripture and not just have these trite little

you know cliche things like

oh no no i'm doing me

my life is good

or whatever you may be tempted to say

like at a deep core level

we have to receive that message of like

he gave us everything in jesus

right like everything else is just icing on the cake after that

literally

um so there's an aspect of envy

that is actually in romans 12 15

it's a failure to rejoice with those who rejoice

and weep with those who weep

and so um it's this concept that

if we're envious of what someone else has

right if i'm envious of that co-worker

who keeps getting that kind of praise

or um you know that that sister

who keeps getting married and having a kid

and having all these you know these types of things

or financial success

we end up not being happy when they succeed

and we end up rejoicing when they don't

and that is scary right

that shows in our hearts

that something's off

that something's off there

and so um if we're weeping when others rejoice

and we're rejoicing when others weep

um i think we may need to take some time

and reflecting and confessing that to the lord

and asking for his grace and his help

um to deal with that

because at the end of the day

we don't deserve eternal life

and communion with god

we've done nothing to earn that

yet by his grace

and through his mercy

he freely offers us

the most wonderful gift

that we could ever have asked for

and this should get you more excited

than any news you could ever receive

than any person asking you out

than any positive pregnancy test

than any boss sitting you down

and telling you you're just getting a promotion

like this news

when we really sit with it

should make us even more excited

than the top five things on our list

that we're asking for

being like answered in a day

can you imagine

if you had five things you're asking for right now

and in a day they just all happen

how like what a good mood you'd be in

right

let's be in that mood today

because we understand

the amazing vastness

and profoundness

and just glory

of the gift that we have

in our salvation

so when we start from that perspective

in life

when we consider our life

and what we don't have yet

and what we still desire

I think a lot of these verses make sense

because if not

it can come off as almost like unempathetic

if you're just like

well you know whatever

you're not going to always get everything you want

well okay

yes that's true

but like we also need to find a way of like

really grappling and wrestling with some of these feelings

that we may be like

why am I dissatisfied

in life right now

I do feel like I'm languishing

is there something off in my expectations

so yeah I would just say like

when we start understanding

that like our cake of life

is sweet

salvation

is the cake

eternal communion with the Lord

will be that cake

and everything else is just icing on it

the blessings in your life

the promotions

the spouses

the spiritual gifts

whatever

that's just icing on the cake

helps us live with perspective

right

I think that's really important

to see that the blessings

make life even sweeter

than it already is

it doesn't make it sweet

so Sean actually has a sermon on this

that I'm not going to go super in depth on

but I am going to post on Slack afterwards

some recommended listenings

for resources for you guys

he did the sermon on when we were going through Exodus

Exodus 2017

is one of the commandments

so I'm just going to

quote his

read his little quote

and then we're going to

go into some more discussion

so he says

so coveting

is similar to envy

are you guys all familiar with the concept of coveting

okay

and so the

passage says

do not covet

can I actually have someone read

Exodus 2017 real quick

and then someone else

James 4 1 through 3

2017

2017

okay Skyler's going to read

Exodus 2017

and then can someone else

read James 4 1 through 3

and we're going to

reference back to both of those later

James 4 1 through 3

Lydia

okay great

Lydia's going to do

James 4 1 through 3

okay so these two

two scriptures

we're actually going to

reference later as well

so Exodus 2017

and James 4 1 through 3

hit it Skyler

you shall not covet

your neighbor's house

you shall not covet

your neighbor's wife

or his male servant

or his female servant

or his ox

or his donkey

or anything

that is your neighbor's

what causes quarrels

and what causes fights

among you

is it not this

that your passions

are at war within you

you desire

and do not have

so you murder

you covet

and cannot obtain

so you fight

and quarrel

you do not have

because you do not ask

you ask

and do not receive

because you ask wrongly

to spend it on your passions

you adulterous people

do you not know

that friendship

with the world

is enmity with God

therefore

whoever wishes

to be a friend

of the world

makes himself

an enemy of God

awesome

so we're just going to

again read what Sean

wrote about this

from his sermon

because it's so good

and coveting

is a bitter root

that brings forth

many more bitter roots

so it's a sin

that leads to other sins

James 4 1 through 2

says

what causes quarrels

and fights among you

is it not this

that your passions

are at war within you

you desire

and do not have

so you murder

you covet

and cannot obtain

so you fight

and quarrel

coveting what belongs

to another

leads to murder

which is a violation

of the sixth commandment

coveting your neighbor's wife

leads to adultery

a violation of the seventh commandment

coveting your neighbor's ox

his donkey

anything that your neighbor's

leads to stealing

a violation of the eighth commandment

in this way

coveting can lead us

to break every single

one of the commandments

intended

to help us love our neighbors

as ourselves

coveting is

by its very nature

anti-social

so when we think about

that God part

of the relationship of envy

and then we think about

the horizontal relational part

that's a lack

of love for our neighbors

when we covet

it's by its very nature

nature anti-social

I love that concept

and it can lead to

so many other sins

but having desires

for good things

isn't bad

right

having a desire

to be able to share

with others

from scripture

more quickly

is like such a beautiful desire

all the desires

that you guys said

again

spouse

baby

job

whatever it may be

like

those are beautiful

things to desire

so the question becomes

what are we to do

with the desires

that we have

if it's an issue

of wanting something

we don't have

or that's not ours

what do we do

with those desires

you just push them down

and say

well whatever

that will be done

do we just

ignore it

do we make

15 million Pinterest boards

of like a vision

and manifest it

until like it becomes ours

we're called to do

two things

ask

okay three things really

and then surrender

and trust

we are called to ask

for these desires

but then

our response

once we've asked

should be surrender

and trust

so can I have

someone look up

Philippians 4

6 through 7

Lauren

and then

Lydia

I'm going to have you

reread again

when she's done

just verses 1 through 3

from James 4

just verses 1 through 3

okay so this is

Philippians 4

6 through 7

and back

we're coming back

to James 4

1 through 3

and so

again we're talking about

what are we to do

with these desires

we're called to ask

and then surrender

and trust

so Lauren

can you go ahead

and read

do not be anxious

about anything

but in every situation

by prayer

and petitions

with thanksgiving

present your request

to God

and the peace of God

which transcends

all understanding

will guard your hearts

and your minds

in Christ Jesus

what causes quarrels

and what causes

fights among you

is it not this

that your passions

are a role within you

you desire

and do not have

you murder

you covet

and cannot obtain

so you fight

and quarrel

you do not have

because you do not ask

you ask

and do not receive

because you ask wrongly

suspended on your passions

so what's standing out

to you guys

in these verses

as it relates

to your own desires

and your own needs

to ask

and then trust

and surrender

how are you hearing

those verses

I'm hearing like

what are your

priorities and motivations

behind those desires

that's good

why do you even

desire it

to begin with

I like it too

because

when you bring

something to the Lord

it sort of

forces you to

check and make sure

that it is a good thing

that you're desiring

that

like

you know

it is a good thing

that you want to

bring and ask the Lord

you don't want to

just ask him

for something

that you're like

oh this is actually

maybe simple

yeah

yeah

that's good

I think it's a really

big deal that you're

taking it to the Lord

not just

sitting in silence

you know

afraid to ask

yeah

yeah

like God wants us

to come to him

with all of our

desires and wants

and like

yeah they can be

unholy

but like

we'll work through it

with God

rather than like

pushing it inside

and kind of brushing it aside

which is what I typically do

and like I remember

during the prayer

seminar thing

that Pastor Sean did

like he made the analogy

of like

God is our Father

and like

like

y'all come to him

with everything

that they

want and desire

um

yes I think that's

a helpful comparison

for me

yeah

yeah are you bringing

everything to him

yeah

that's good

anyone else

I think like

oh

oh no no no

sorry I was

brushing my hair

um

I was gonna say

like this

um

I think I'm a little

confused about this

because you asked

wrongly to spend it

on your passions

mm-hmm

is he saying

um

is that more

I don't know

if that's more

talking about

the motivation

behind it

because I think

my fear would be

that I would not

bring requests

before God

because I

like oh

I don't wanna

ask God for this

because I know

my heart behind it

is

I'm scared

it's um

it's like

got gross

motivation

behind it

or like

I'm kinda guilty

of why I want

this

and um

I don't know

and so

I'm not sure

or if he's just

saying you ask

wrongly

um

because

you're

suspended on

your passions

of life

I don't know

mm-hmm

it's a really

good question

it's the next

point I was

gonna highlight

so that's

great

good job

um

it's basically

kind of what

Kendall was saying

in that

if the desire

is rooted in

selfishness

God's gonna

not necessarily

answer that

prayer

but

prayer has a

way of making

us aware

of those desires

so even if

it's a desire

rooted in

selfishness

you should still

pray about it

because

prayer has

a purifying

influence on us

and as we pray

more and more

and as like

even prayers

that go unmet

you may be like

wrestling with this

and like God

why not

and he may

bring conviction

oh

because

you don't actually

want this for my glory

you want it for your

comfort

or you don't actually

want it

what

it wouldn't be good

it wouldn't be good

for you

yeah exactly

um

it's not my plan

for you

I have something

better for you

I have something

even better

for you

um

so yeah

it's not a call

to only pray

when you're holy

pray in all things

in everything

bring everything

before him

but also be aware

that prayer does

have a purifying

influence on our

desires

that the more

you pray

the more you're

actually gonna pray

God's will

because there's a

convicting aspect

that happens to that

um

because at the same

token

prayerlessness

can result in a

lack of blessings

there are things

that we can miss out

on in life

because

we either don't

trust God

to pray

or we don't

think he's gonna

do it

he's not willing

um

or that prayer

just doesn't work

we discount

the power of prayer

um

so yeah

I think it's

both and there

that's a good

question

this is slightly

overrated

but there's a

really good

analogy for like

when you ask

for things for God

you might not

give you exactly

what you think

um

it's basically

like this analogy

of imagine

you're asking

God for like

a small teddy bear

and then behind

his back

he's holding

a really big

teddy bear

ready to give

that to you

but you're

asking for

the smaller

bear

and so

I just

thought

that would

be a cute

picture

yep

yep

and he's like

no I'm not

giving you that

teddy bear

and the girl's

like I was

too holding up

he's like

because

yeah

do we really

understand that

Abba father

is that in

every situation

even when you

don't realize

the big teddy bear

for what it is

if he ever says

no I'm not

giving you that

specific teddy bear

it literally is

always because

he has something

better for you

and better for you

may be

continuing to wait

where you grow

in intimacy with

Jesus and Jesus

alone

better for you

may be a season

in the wilderness

because he's preparing

you for incredible

ministry

I don't know

yeah that's a good

question

is that answer

satisfying

yeah I think

I struggle

with the

you're not

going to receive

because you

asked wrongly

and then that

can get really

almost like

self condemning

a little bit

but I think

it's going

even that

to God

and being like

I'm struggling

with this

yes

he wants to

love on that

yeah and I

don't think

he's saying

you ask

wrongly

so don't ask

I think

he's saying

but where

there are

things that

are

motivations

he may not

give

because

it's not

his plan

for you

or whatever

you know

did you have

something you

want to say

no

sorry

okay so

so if

great

awesome

rock star

I have

I'm aware

of these

desires

okay I do

not have

these things

yet but I'm

not coveting

them in my

neighbor

so what do

I do

I ask

and I

surrender

and trust

awesome

I'm four

years in

into

asking

and surrendering

and trusting

now what do

I do

what do

we do

with desires

that continue

to go

on men

with prayer

requests that

we believe

are holy

that we've

prayed this

prayer

Lord if

it's not

if my

motivation's

off

if my

desire's

off

let me

know

and I'll

let it

go

and you

continue

to lean

in and

you're

like

no I

think

this is

what you

want me

to pray

for

and I'm

going to

continue

to pray

for it

but I'm

not seeing

any movement

what do

we do

with those

desires

how many

of you

in one

way or

another

big or

small

feel like

you're in

a season

of waiting

most of

us

I feel

you

let me

tell you

I feel

your pain

on so many

levels

some of you

have been

waiting longer

than me

I get it

and I just

think of like

amazing stories

of like

Mina's family

praying for

their dad

for what was it

like 15

years

you guys

sought the

Lord

persistently

what a good

desire

of course

that God

wants to

answer that

prayer

but you

didn't

give up

you didn't

throw your

hands up

after 10

years

and say

well we're

not going

to break

because clearly

this man's

heart ain't

going to

change

15 years

they prayed

for her

dad's

salvation

what are

you doing

in between

while you're

waiting for

those answers

and you

believe God

is powerful

and he

wants to

move

but he's

not yet

for me

this is the

first time

in my life

that I have

come to

learn and

grow and

appreciate the

beauty of

the discipline

of lament

and lament

is something

we don't

talk about

a lot

well actually

in our

church we

talk about

a lot

but I

would say

in the

big church

big C

big C

church

we don't

talk about

lament a lot

something I

love about

our church

we're actually

very honest

about it

and so I

had never

been exposed

to it

before coming

to Trinity

no I

literally knew

lamentations

of the book

of the Bible

didn't know

anything about

what lament

meant

and so lament

is a beautiful

spiritual practice

that is

absolutely

100%

a part

of every

believer's

life

so if you've

never been

disappointed

in life

you've never

had to work

through the

concept of

lament

I promise

you you

will

at some

point

between now

and heaven

you're going

to have

deep deep

disappointments

and deep

deep

things that

grieve you

on a deep

level

and promises

you believe

God's given

you that you're

waiting and

waiting and

waiting and

he hasn't

answered yet

because it's

a part

actually

it sounds

backwards

but again

we live in

an upside

down kingdom

it's how we

grow in our

intimacy with

Jesus

in our

sufferings

we get to

know him

in a way

that you

never will

in all your

answers

your prayer

requests being

answered

there is this

element to

suffering

that is

yes we know

the word

refining

refining

sounds so

cold to

me though

there's this

element of

intimacy

and sweetness

and radical

delight

that comes

from getting

to your

rock bottom

and having

nothing to

look forward

to and

seeing that

Jesus is

holding your

hands there

so we have

to learn how

to lament

because if we

just cover our

eyes and we're

like no

everything's fine

I'm fine

everything's fine

that's gonna

take away the

opportunity for

you to grow in

intimacy with him

in that season

so there's a

couple recommendations

I have I'm gonna

post on the

slack channel

this is not a

lesson on lament

and some of you

guys probably

did not think

we're gonna talk

about lament

when we're

talking about

mb in comparison

but I really

think it's an

important part

when we consider

our desires

and what to do

with them

so a couple

recommendations

is there's a

book dark

clouds deep

mercy

and in this

book he

basically

fleshes out

the four steps

of lament

Sean's had a

series on this

we've heard it

from a couple

different speakers

at our church

but the four steps

of lament

are turn to

God

so not turning

to others

and complaining

not turning

inwardly

and getting

depressed

but turning

to God

second step

is lay out

your complaint

let him have

it

he already

knows

you're only

fooling

yourself

let him

know

let him

hear it

this third

step

is then

ask God

for help

don't go

to others

don't pick

up the phone

and call

your best

friend

don't you

know look

within you

and how

do I

become my

best self

you know

with this

desire

whatever

it's ask

God

for help

because he's

the only

one who

can help

you

and the

fourth

and this

is sometimes

the hardest

declare your

trust in him

anyway

even though I

don't see you

working

I know that

you are

working

even though I

don't see

a way

that you

can

bring a

husband

bring a

child

bring a

whatever

it may

be

I trust

you

and I

trust

your plan

for me

so

again I

would recommend

Sean has a

sermon series

from four

psalms

of lament

that we

did last

summer

phenomenal

sermon series

if you guys

want to go

deeper

into this

and then we

also had a

guest speaker

named Dane

Helsing

he came

and spoke

on that

if you guys

heard his

sermon

that was

so I'll

link to that

on slack

in the dark

clouds deep

mercy

so again

we're not

going to spend

too much

time on this

but can I

just have

one volunteer

to read

psalm 130

I want you

to hear

the voice

of this

author

he is not

holding back

he is not

even kind

of like

trying to

sugarcoat

it

psalm 130

and hear

the passion

and the emotion

the honesty

about his

desires

but also

how he

follows

these four

steps

can someone

read aloud

psalm 130

for us

okay go for it

out of the depths

I cry to you

oh lord

oh lord

hear my voice

let your ears

be attentive

to the voice

of my

please

for mercy

if you

oh lord

should mark

iniquities

oh lord

who could

stand

but with you

there is forgiveness

that you may be

feared

I wait for the

lord

my soul

waits

and in his

word

I hope

my soul

waits for the

lord

more than

watching

for the

morning

more than

watching

for the

morning

oh

Israel

hope in the

lord

for with

the lord

there is

steadfast

love

and with

him

is plentiful

redemption

and he

will redeem

Israel

from all

his

iniquities

love

that

there is

another

psalm

psalm

6

that is

a psalm

of lament

and in

the psalm

the author

asks

how long

oh lord

how long

am I going

to have to

wait

seriously

I have

been here

we have

been through

this

and something

I have

shared this

before

in different

settings

but I think

we need

a mindset

shift

instead of

asking

how long

how long

am I going

to be single

how long

are my

kids going

to be

struggling

with

whatever

how long

am I going

to be

stuck

in this

job

when I

am

really

miserable

instead

ask

what now

what would

you have

me do

in this

season

of life

what are

the opportunities

in front

of me

that clearly

you're not

changing

my situation

that you

want me

to really

take hold

of

and squeeze

out

all that

is in

this season

before

you answer

my prayer

so uh

reading Lord of the Rings

big Lord of the Rings

fan

so there's this quote

from Gandalf

oh it's just like

oh it's so good

huh

I was already

thinking of it

yeah yeah

you're probably

sure you've already

already heard the quote

okay so imagine

Gandalf

gray cloak

long beard

and he says

to Frodo

it's so beautiful

all you have

to decide

is what to do

with the time

that is given you

you don't have

to worry about

all the other

things and all

the other

storylines

your life

could have

followed

all you have

to worry

about

is what's

in front

of you

right now

and that's

so freeing

some people

could say

well that's

so limiting

but I think

that's so freeing

when we think

about these

desires

and we're

tempted

to live

someone else's

life

or do

do their

job at work

or be

their friend

to someone

who are

the friends

in front

of you

that you're

called to be

a friend to

or what's

the job

at work

that you're

called to do

so something

that's big

huge for me

because I've

struggled with

this my

entire life

when I am

tempted to

envy and

compare myself

to others

is actually

to journal

and reflect

on God's

specific

faithfulnesses

to me

and so

I'm sure

you guys

have heard

about the

concept

of a

gratitude

journal

I cannot

emphasize

enough

the importance

of being

able to

start

grab a

journal

one thing

a day

wake up

in the

morning

and write

one thing

a day

I did

this about

eight years

ago

and it

transformed

the way

that I

even wake

up in

the morning

the way

that I'm

walking

through the

day

and then

sometimes

instead of

writing down

things I'm

grateful for

I'll actually

pull out

old journals

from that

time

eight years

ago

when I

was not

even walking

with the

Lord

I'll be

honest

and I'm

like oh

my gosh

how much

do I have

to be

grateful for

that I'm

literally not

struggling

with that

anymore

like praise

the Lord

oh my

gosh

when you

really

share your

testimony

with yourself

wow

contentment

and joy

is like

the natural

outpouring

when you

see how

much God's

done in

your life

how much

he's provided

for you

and the

big and the

small

you know

that parking

spot was

awesome

that one

time

like you

know

I was running

late and you

provided for

me

versus like

you brought

my dad

to salvation

like praise

the Lord

whatever it

may be

so yeah

just another

thing

I think

that when

we're

contented to

compare

ourselves

to others

what they

look like

the life

that they

have

we have

to remember

that God

created each

of us

so specially

and so

uniquely

that there

is only

one Aubrey

Penn in

this world

right

there's only

one Natalie

Ma and

that he

has a

specific

story

and a

specific

work that

he wants

to do

in each

of us

with specific

skills

talents

giftings

we each

have a

personal

testimony

to share

and I

think he's

given us

those specific

things to

bring glory

to himself

so when

we compare

ourselves

with others

and try

and be

someone else

or live

someone else's

life

you actually

deprive the

world of

the person

God created

you to be

and the

talents he's

given you

to share

right

when you're

trying to

be you

know

sparkling

in daisies

and roses

when really

God's created

you to be

quiet

and deep

and contemplative

whatever it

may be

I don't

know

you deprive

the world

of who he

made you

to be

and that's

a gift

I just want

to emphasize

he has a

specific calling

and task

for you to

fulfill in

your life

to glorify

himself

through you

that if you're

trying to be

someone else

he gets less

glory

so comparison

is always a losing

game

I'm just gonna

throw it out there

you either compare

and you come

out on top

you're feeling

pretty good

wait I actually

do have a lot

of spiritual gifts

wait I actually

do have like a

smoking hot husband

wait I actually

do have like

all my kids

whatever

they're not as

bad as

someone says

or you become

envious

and jealous

wait I don't

have what they

have

I want all

those things

so like I

really do think

it's part of

like taking

every thought

captive

and being

mindful of

even when

the comparing

thought comes

in

just to be

aware of

that

because

oftentimes

we tend

to downplay

the positive

aspects of

our life

and overemphasize

the positive

aspects of

other people's

lives

but at the

same time

overemphasizing

how hard

our life

is

and downplaying

hard and

challenging

in other

people's

lives

right

so you

can just

get a show

of hands

how many