by Ally Golden | Mar 23, 2021 | Life Advice, Wisdom |
“If only I had what she had, then I would be happier.”
“I wish I was that loved, it looks like everyone loves her so much.”
“It looks like that is working out for her really well, why does nothing ever work out like that for me?”
“They always like, comment on, and re-share her photos, they must like her more than me.”
“Wow, she has got it all together all the time and I just feel like a mess all the time.”
These thoughts above are thoughts that I have struggled with in my life. I am not proud of these thoughts in any way. But at a point in my life, I have thought them, they consumed my mind and took away my joy. They say, “comparison is the thief of joy,” and I have come to realize that it is Satan who is the thief of Joy and he does all that he can to try and make us believe that what we have isn’t enough.
Satan who makes us fall into comparison is the true thief of joy.
So how do we do it? How do we escape from comparison? How do we be women who encourage and uplift other women no matter what our circumstances may be?
We fall before the feet of Jesus Every. Single. Day.
We ask Him to show us the areas in which we have made ourselves the center. We repent of those things and we ask him to invade our hearts and be at the center of all that we do.
Comparison cannot be overcome without the One who has overcome it all.
It is so much easier said than done though, right? One minute we are reading the word of God and feel seen and known by Him. The next minute we are scrolling on social media consuming our minds with content that makes us feel like we are less than. It is a vicious cycle and one that we will always need to be ready to go to battle with. Our battle with comparison belongs to God.
Let’s equip ourselves with scripture to ground and strengthen us when we catch ourselves falling into moments of comparison:
“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance.” (1 Corinthians 13:4 TPT)
When they get what you wanted. When she gets the job instead of you. When they get what you feel like you’ve been waiting for your whole life. When it seems like the stars are aligning perfectly for them and all you want is for two stars to align for you. Love refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. On our own, we can not fully love in such a way as this. But with the strength of Christ, reading and reminding ourselves of this scripture, and making Him the center of our hearts, He begins to transform us.
“We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!” (Ephesians 2:10 TPT)
Friend, God has His perfect plan for you that is going to be different than His perfect plan for them. We live in a time where our minds are bombarded with what everyone else is up to and doing. Our selfish flesh begins to desire what the world defines as “making it.” But what our flesh desires usually doesn’t line up with what God desires for our life. In the moment, it is hard to see when someone gets something we are desiring. But know and trust that before you were even born, God planned in advance your destiny and the good works you would do to fulfill that. Ask Him to align His desires for your life to also be the desires of your heart.
“Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another.” (Romans 12:10 TPT)
We are to celebrate one another! When we know fully that God is doing wondrous work in the life of a friend it deserves celebration. Satan is likely going to try and trick us into thinking that God must not love us or care about us as much as them. But actually, God withholds things from us for our good and because He knows our every need. So when God blesses another may we encourage, support, and celebrate knowing full and well that God is at work in that person’s life! May we be people who choose celebration over comparison.
“So I’m asking you, my friends, that you be joined together in perfect unity—with one heart, one passion, and united in one love. Walk together with one harmonious purpose and you will fill my heart with unbounded joy. Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:2-3 TPT)
The sin in which comparison stems from is pride. And when we become prideful, unity is harmed and in danger. Pride loves to hide. It is sneaky. It is like a killing weed and if it takes root and grows, it damages what is around it. So we must check in with ourselves and do a heart-check to make sure pride is not taking root. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Are there any opinions or thoughts in my heart today in which I am in the center of?
- Am I putting the needs of myself first or the needs of others?
- In recent conversations have I been making myself the center?
These 4 passages from the bible above are what we can use in our battle against comparison. Write them down. Memorize them. Let them become your lifestyle.
I see you, the one who has been struggling with comparison, and I am with you. It truly is something that we will always have to fight against, and sometimes it may get the best of us. Know that it doesn’t make you any less of a person. It doesn’t mean you are weak. It doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough.
Like I said above, it takes falling at the feet of Jesus Every. Single. Day. Rely solely on Him. Pray these verses over yourself. Be confident in where He is leading you, knowing and trusting that it is perfect for you. And as you are led, cheer on others as they too are being led.
As your Father in heaven cheers you on, go and cheer on His people.
Ally is a pediatric nurse in San Diego, and on her off days she is writing and creating encouraging content for her Instagram page @wordsaregolden. She is a big fan of Jesus, lover of all things pink, drinks iced coffee every day, and loves to cook for and host people in her home.
Follow her on Instagram: @wordsaregolden
by Ally Golden | Dec 1, 2020 | Life Advice
Have you heard the analogy of filling up your cup in order to pour out? It is something I have lived by for a long time. I have always viewed it as needing to fill up my cup with the things that bring me joy and give me life, and once my cup is full, then I can pour out to those around me. Meaning that sometimes if I was personally feeling burnt out or beaten down I wouldn’t pour myself out to those around me like I would if my cup was full. I also viewed it as not being able to give my best self or ability to others. The thing is, I was filling my cup with the wrong things. Things that I selfishly wanted, thinking that they were going to make me happier, fuller, more ready to give of myself. I found myself left feeling even more empty. God has recently opened my eyes to a new way of viewing this analogy, and I want to share it with you!
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting and researching lately on the way Jesus lived while He was here on Earth in the form of a human. I have been reminding myself of His humanness. Jesus slept, ate, cried, laughed, put clothes on, showered, walked, rested, all of the human things we can forget that He actually did too! I love remembering the simple things that Jesus also did, it makes Him so relatable.
“He existed in the form of God, yet he gave no thought to seizing equality with God as his supreme prize. Instead, he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death—a criminal’s death by crucifixion!” – Philippians 2:6-8 TPT
While Jesus was here on Earth He emptied himself. As I read this passage the word emptied jumps out of the text and catches my attention every time. Jesus lived a life of continual emptying because He was continually overflowing with the love of God.
He knew and relied on the strength of God to fill Him with everything He was going to need for each day. He trusted that God would give Him the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that He needed in order to pour out.
You see, I think we have this whole filling of our cup analogy wrong. When we view it as needing to fill ourselves up with the things of this world in order to pour out, we are never going to have enough. The things of this world are never going to satisfy our deepest needs and longings.
When we choose to fill our cup up with time spent reading God’s word, sitting in His presence, worshiping Him, and being in communication with Him, our cup will continually be full. He will fill us with the strength and courage needed to be of continual emptying of ourselves to those around us, just as Jesus did.
“Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests. And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.” – Philippians 2:3-5
I think this is something so beautiful that we as children of God can begin to work on in this season of giving. May we begin to come before God and ask Him to fill us with what He wants us to pour out to those around us. We are all probably a little burnt out right now, this year has been very taxing mentally and emotionally on us all. What are the people around us needing? How can we give of ourselves to them, knowing and trusting that God is going to fill us with the very needs that we ourselves have? These are hard questions to ask when we feel in a place of defeat, but in our boldness, God will bless us with His faithfulness.
I believe that if we all began to live this verse out in our daily lives to the best of our ability amazing, God-ordained things would happen. When the mindset of Jesus becomes our motivation, nothing can stand against us. I feel like it is easy to be scared of continually giving of ourselves. We know ourselves pretty well, we know what we are like when we start to get burnt out. But when we continue to give ourselves for the glory of Jesus Christ, He will give us strength beyond understanding. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He sees in us beautiful courage waiting to come to life as we trust in Him.
We are made strong because of the strength of Christ. He equips us with what we need when we exactly when we need it. He puts His words and thoughts in our minds and out of our mouths as we ask Him to intervene in our life. He wants to radiate His light through us, His shining lights. Ask Him to strengthen you, come to Him to be filled up, and pour the fruits of the Spirit out to those around you. He is so proud of you, and He delights in you, His beautiful beloved child.
Ally is a full time pediatric nurse in San Diego, and on her off days she is writing and creating art for her business Words Are Golden. She is a big fan of Jesus, lover of all things pink, drinks iced coffee every day, and loves to cook and bake new recipes for her friends and family.
Say hi to her on Instagram!: @wordsaregolden
by Ally Golden | Oct 8, 2020 | Life Advice |
Note from Team LO: We are so glad you’re here! Each Thursday in October we’ll be posting different prayers for our Nation by some of our LO sister ambassadors. Enjoy and meditate on this prayer for peace from LO ambassador, Ally Golden.
Jesus,
We ask for your peace to reign down on our nation. Overwhelm your people with your peace. We are all yearning for a sense and a taste of your peace that transcends all understanding, and we trust in you. Fill our hearts with the kind of grace that you would exemplify if you were here on Earth at this time. Remind us of the grace you so freely offer to us. Fill us with your love, that we are so full we must overflow to those we come in contact with.
We ask you to guide us as individuals, as friends, as families, and as a nation. When we feel overwhelmed with the chaos and confusion, remind us to come back to your word. Remind us that we need not let our hearts be troubled, and we don’t need to be afraid (John 14:27). As we hold on to the hope of You, renew our minds, and fill us with your strength (Isaiah 40:31).
Help us to remember that every single human is your child, even the ones we don’t agree with. Give us your lens to see your children as you see them. Help us to love those who are hard to love.
May we embody the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control) in all that we do. In these uncertain times, we grab on to the certainty of you, knowing full and well that you are in control of this world and your children that you love dearly.
Thank you for your unconditional love.
Thank you for your grace. Guide us as we walk in you daily.
Amen
Ally is a full time pediatric nurse in San Diego, and on her off days she is writing and creating art for her business Words Are Golden. She is a big fan of Jesus, lover of all things pink, drinks iced coffee every day, and loves to cook and bake new recipes for her friends and family.
Say hi to her on Instagram!: @wordsaregolden
