uniquely you: let's (not) compare

I'm sorry I've been absent the past few days. To be honest, I've been feeling under the weather all week on top of being on vacation, so I haven't felt much like blogging. Which really never happens. I've wanted to, but instead I've been lying in bed for most of my vacation and watching episodes of Grey's Anatomy and trying to get well. But, there has been a topic I've been wanting to write about for a while now. So, I thought that I would try to get it out of my head and see what happens.



Let's just be real. Life is tough. Actually, sometimes life just seems like it's going against you. Like everything is piling up all at once and you just can't handle it. And it's during times like these that we get discouraged and, if we let ourselves, we begin to compare our lives to the lives of others. We think about every way in which our life "lacks" and compare it to every way in which others around us seem to have it all. And we start to deceive ourselves by thinking, "Well if only I had Susie's life" or "Derek and Julie have everything they want - why does their life get to be perfect and mine sucks?" Now those are some pretty sad thoughts, but when we are in the storms of life, it's tempting to think those things. Recently, Drew and I have had several things happen in our life that have tried to put us down. And, like always, I started journaling through it. After some blatant complaining (which I'll save you from) here are some of my open thoughts I wrote:

I will not compare my life situation to others who 'seem' to have it easier. Only God knows their future and the trials they are going through. Each is different - meant to grow us closer and so that we can bless each other. Besides, if we were all going through the same hardships, how could we bless one another? But because we have each been given different blessings and different hardships, we are then able to strengthen one another. 

What a beautiful picture that is! And how much more fitting than the one I tend to perceive. We never know what someone else may be going through. Their struggles and hardships may be hidden completely and are probably different than the ones we are going through. But that doesn't mean they are better off or have it easier. Even though they may seem to have it all together, everyone has pain and everyone experiences their own hardships. So, I remind myself, that next time I'm down to remember what my blessings are and what I do have. Instead of comparing myself to someone else, I am going to choose to be thankful, and look for areas that I can bless someone else. It also reminds me of that quote I've heard several times before, "Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle."

I'd wager that this lesson is also true about our self image. I know for me, as a woman, I'm constantly struggling with the temptation to compare myself to other women. But, instead of using all of that negative energy to compare myself, I want to strive to focus on the things I love about myself and remember that the areas that I don't like so much, other people would probably might love to have. Growing up, I'd always hear stories of little girls who had straight hair wanting curly hair and girls who had curly hair only wishing their hair was straight. But isn't it so beautiful when we accept our bodies - with all the faults and flaws - and we embrace them with open arms? When we love ourselves and our big bones or our curvy hips? When we love our longer nose or crooked smile? Everyone has beauty in them - it just looks different on each of us.