The Joyful Journey: Ditching Doubt, Crushing Comparison, and Fixing Our Gaze on God
🏁To joyfully reach our finish lines, whatever they may be, it's essential to maintain our hope at all times.
‼️Hope acts as the vehicle that carries us from our current point to our desired destination. Once our hope is lost, so too is our transportation to better.
😥That said, I have come to realize that hope is often destroyed by discouragement and doubt as they become a crippling distraction.
🚨For many, the source of our discouragement and doubt is when we begin to compare ourselves to others.
🗣President Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Being that's the case, we know through our relationship with God that He desires for us to have a joyous experience here on Earth regardless of our circumstances. That said, we should never compare ourselves to others.
🙌🏾Consider what Rick Warren says about comparison: “Comparing yourself to others is never wise. Why? Because you’re one of a kind! God has a plan for your life that’s different from his plan for anyone else. If you’re wishing that God gave you another person’s plan, then you’re going to miss the plan for your life! When you compare, you start worrying.”
“But worry is worthless. Any second you spend worrying is wasted because worry can’t accomplish anything. Worry can’t change the past. It can’t control the future. It’s only going to make you miserable today. It’s like sitting in a rocking chair, going back and forth, back and forth. You don’t make any progress, and you use a lot of energy.”
📖Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers” (MSG).
📖Proverbs 4:25-27 - New Living Translation: Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. 27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
📖Hebrews 12:1-3 …let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
Concluding Power Thoughts:
💭 - If comparing leads to worry, as Warren states, then we must never compare - Philippians 4:6.
💭- You can’t look two directions at once. Both Proverbs 4:25-27 along with Hebrews 12:1-3 command we keep our eyes in the proper place no matter the circumstance. And since our eyes remain on Jesus, we are not able to compare, as we can’t compare ourselves to what we do not see.
So, by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and what He has for us, we will not get sidetracked by discouragement and doubt that comes from comparing. Instead, we will be transported to our destiny by our hope, which will be fueled by our faith that has been perfected by Jesus!
*When you do find yourself discouraged and distracted by comparison, that’s a sign that your eyes are no longer on Jesus and that you must refocus and look ahead!