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A Key to Contentment

I want to tell you something. Are you ready? (Deep breath!) Okay, here it goes: I struggle with comparison. You want to know something else? Comparison is the biggest enemy of contentment.

Pastor and author Steven Furtick puts it this way, “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” In this day and age of social media, it’s pretty easy to think that everyone else throws the best birthday parties, has a family that always looks put together, has perfect hair and perfect skin—and even the perfect lighting for their photo. It’s kind of insane. Maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this. But maybe, just maybe, you are with me some days.

So the question remains. What do we do about it? How do we combat comparison? One way is to practice gratitude. I’ve noticed that when I start taking time to list what I do have, I don’t seem to dwell so much on what I don’t have. Begin listing a few things each day that you’re thankful for, praising God for each of these gifts. Next thing you know, you realize you had more than you’d imagined.

Melissa Brown
StaffKids Team