My 2016 Lenten journey consists of removing all distractions in an effort to grow closer to God and His Word.
The Bible app has been on my phone since day one. Yet I am just beginning to really use it. The app has reading plans which I knew nothing about before, but I am so glad I found them. Reading plans are a simple way you can read a little of the Bible each day, growing your knowledge and helping you connect with your faith in deeper, more meaningful ways. It seems as if there is at least one available for anything you're going through. The first that caught my eye was Comparison Trap.
I fall victim to the comparison trap more often than I'd like to admit. Why am I not as happy as her? Why doesn't my hair/skin/body look like that? Why am I not where I want to be in my career like she is?
The rational part of my mind realizes that most people only post the good. Most people only allow you to see what they want you to see which happens to be the highs rather than the lows. Most people put up a façade and want you to think their life is perfect. Filters and Photoshop are at an all-time high. My irrational mind doesn't care. My irrational mind compares and sees how my life isn't quite adding up to hers.
I actively try not to compare and I sincerely love to see other people win. Yes, the hints of jealously and resentment exist. Yes, I want more for myself. Yes, I am human.
One thing from the reading plan really stuck out on this last day. It will stay with me forever:
"Celebrate others out loud and on purpose today and see if it doesn't reduce envy's grip on your heart. You speak words--even if they don't match your thoughts--that applaud them. There's something powerful and liberating about celebrating the success of other people. It's like popping a balloon filled with all the insecurity and envy of comparison."
