Comparison. BLAH!
We all struggle with that, right? Especially in this world with social media that gives us almost complete access into our friends’ lives. We’re seeing all the details of all the things they’re accomplishing & how wonderful their lives are. And we want those things for our friends! But we also want them for ourselves. On top of all that, social media also gives OTHERS a platform to make comments on what they believe our life should look like.
We should be eating _____ instead of _____.
We should be in bed by 10:00 PM.
We should be engaged by age _____.
We should be breastfeeding our babies instead of bottle feeding them.
We should be living in a real house by the time we turn _____.
We should be working toward a promotion at our job.
We should be having kids by now.
We should be feeling _____ because that’s the normal way to feel.
Well we don’t have to have it figured out as long as we’re listening to God. We don’t really owe anyone an explanation for the way we live our life as long as we’re responding to his nudges & seeking His approval & only His (Galatians 1:10)
If I were living the life I thought I would be 10 years ago, I’d be a full-time photographer with my own brick & mortar studio. I’d be a mother of 1-2 kiddos, living in a big city, married to a man with a head full of hair. Student loans would long be paid off & I’d be going to the gym every day to work off the baby weight.
Literally NONE of that is reality for me. Including the man with a full head of hair. (Sorry hubby, but you’re as bald as Mr. Clean!) But this is the season He has asked me to be in. And I’m saying YES to it. Do I always love it? No. But I’m saying yes. Those bitter hearts commenting on what my life should look like have no idea what I’ve been asked to carry. And I’m not serving them; I’m a servant of God!
So in the words of the band Jimmy Eat World:
“Don’t you worry what their bitter hearts are gonna say. It just takes some time. Little girl you’re in the middle of the ride. And everything everything will be alright.”
Keep doing you.
<3 Elaine
additonal supplies:
Stickabilities black mini alpha stickers | Studio G mini block alpha stamps
Oh Mrs. Elaine, your blog posts always make my heart smile! You always know just how to string those beautifully blithe words together to make it feel like you’re writing our story too!
Elaine — This is such an important post for all of us. Bless you sister! You are such a light! I adore you!
Yes yes yes! As a slightly older woman (ahem), I look back on my younger years and kick myself at quite how much time I spent comparing myself to others and feeling rubbish that I didn’t have x,y or z.
These days I still have dreams in my heart, but I hold them loosely, like balloons, knowing that they belong to Him. It’s also an idea to wear a metaphorical pair of those ‘blinkers’ horses wear – keep walking the route that belongs to us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, not looking to the left or right. Two big thumbs up for this wisdom, Elaine! xxx
Good heavens, YES! This is so on point with where I am in life currently. THANK YOU for sharing your heart on this and putting in words what I am feeling.