A Thief in the Night

Comparison.

Ah, yes, a word that we are all too familiar with. I'm sure a situation or scenario came to mind as soon as you read that word. One where the thief came to steal your peace, joy, contentment, etc, all because of comparison. We live in a world where most are trying to one-up their neighbor. Have to have a better yard, gotta have a more excellent car, gotta have the better Christmas lights, gotta have the best of the best even if it puts us in debt. WHY?! Why do we let the "things" that others have put us in a place of unrest, envy, and greed; let's call it for what it is, sin.

I'm reminded of a parable that Jesus tells in John 10. There's one verse in particular that came to mind, vs 10 "A thief (the enemy) only has one thing in mind - he wants to steal, kill, and destroy. But I (Jesus) have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect - life in its fullness until you overflow." Okay, friends, don't get overly excited, Jesus didn't say he was just going to drop everything you ever wanted in your lap! I don't think Jesus had a materialistic bone in his body, let alone when we die we aren't going to take anything with us. Soooo I don't think those things matter all that much to him. Granted, he sure does bless his kids. And yes, some of those blessings are material things, because what parent is not one to spoil their kids every so often? But hear me out, I don't think that he ever wanted for us to start comparing and desiring to have the best of the best just because. He never wanted us to be envious, and grow bitterness or resentment towards those we love because of the nicer things they have. At the end of the day, it's just stuff. Now, I understand that certain things hold sentimental value to us, I included, but I never ever want that to take precedence over the value of those that I love. Proverbs 23, speaks about wisdom, and I think that wisdom plays a big part when comparison comes in the scene. Listen to this, vs 1-5 - "When you've been invited to dine with a very important leader, consider your manners and keep in mind whom you're with. Be careful to curb your appetite and catch yourself before you fall into the trap of wanting all you see. Don't crave their delicacies, for they may have another motive in having you sit at their table. Don't compare yourself to the rich. Surrender your selfish ambition and evaluate them properly. For no sooner do you start counting your wealth than it sprouts wings and flies away like an eagle in the sky - here today, gone tomorrow!" Did yall catch that at the end? Here today, gone tomorrow. Isn't that just like most things in life? Trends, they come and go, we invest so much into having all the things, and by the time we think we have it made, something new springs up and we hop on that trend. Honestly, it's exhausting trying to be "relevant" nowadays. I sit here and feel a twinge in my heart because we've all been there, done that, and drank that drink. But what does Jesus desire for us? In fact, what did Jesus do?! He wasn't a trendsetter, my friends. He stirred the waters, the pot, and then some. That man was like a salmon swimming upstream and he wants us to follow suit. We should stand out not because we are super duper trendy, but because we are different from the rest. I want to stand out because I'm celebrating the amazing things my friends have been blessed with, I want to be an encourager to the one who feels unseen and forgotten, I want to fix my girlfriend's crowns without looking for applause, and I want to set a trend where people are set ablaze for Jesus when they spend time with me because I love him and them that much.

Don't let comparison rob you of the beautiful things that God has set before you, but you're so blind to those things because you just see the shiny things everyone else has. Don't let the enemy rob you. Don't look for things to satisfy you, because I will tell you now, that nothing will completely satisfy and fill you up like the love that Jesus has for you. And I mean NOTHING! Not your spouse, not your family, friends, pets, money, cars, houses...nothing. Jesus is THE thing. So. I leave you with this. If there's anything that you are going to compare, compare where you are now, to where you can be tomorrow. Compare if there's somewhere where you can let some things go, and make room for a better you, to better someone else, for the sake of perfect love. Jesus. Don't let comparison sweep in like a thief in the night, leave a light on and see what happens, I promise it won't disappoint.