 Comparison is killing you Comparison is killing me. I feel like I'm caught in the cycle of being secure in who I am in what I'm doing and my mission in my life and Then maybe I come across the social media post of somebody that's doing Something that I'm doing but to a greater extent. They have more followers. Their life seems better than mine They're in a happier relationship. They're a better communicator. They're more intelligent They make the piece of content that I wish I made They live the life that I wish I lived and in a moment I go from being secure and who I am and who God says I am and my life Into this pit of anxiety and just fear of What is to come? I found myself caught in that this afternoon. I got home from work I work it at my my dad's Part-time and I do this part-time and I got home and I had just come across some different Content creators and I was just said really admiring. I felt like I was admiring what they were doing But then it crossed the line to just feeling really really bad about myself Like really like I was just like I can't believe like I'm I'm I'm falling off I'm not doing as much as I should be doing or I'm not I'm not living up to who I should be and and I'm a Failure basically and just made me want to curl up and die. I Think the thing is for me is I'm I spend so much time Sometimes like when I get caught up in this cycle of comparison. I spend so much time Obsessing about me. It's all self-focused, right? It's all and when we get when we get in the cycle of of comparison It tends to be self-focused about what my life is or isn't what my relationships are or are not What my career where my career is or you know, how far it is and And where I failed I think it's one of Satan's most powerful tools of drawing our eyes inward and being so Self-obsessed or or drowning in self-pity because oh, I'm not where I want to be or I'm not living up to expectations or I You know anything like that. It causes us to stay and to stop and to Sit into in discouragement as opposed to moving forward Into the beauty and the wonder of of God's plan like it's not some sort of prosperity Gospel. Oh, just wait for your day. I was looking at this I turned on Joel Osteen the other day because I saw him on TV. I was like, wow I've never actually caught him on TV. So I tuned in for one of his sermons or whatever you want to call him life Pretty much garbage, right? But he was saying your day is coming. You know, you're you might be in your not yet You know, you're gonna get that promotion you didn't get that thing and my thought is and what I was thinking was well What if that thing isn't what God wants for you like you were so obsessed and like, oh, I got to get here I want to be this I want to you know be this kind of person I want to live this life and we're waiting and we're in this in between But maybe That's not God's desire for you to get there or be that person or achieve that, right? And for me, I'm thinking about this on a personal level. I Compare myself to all these people that are living lives or doing things Better or or they seem to be more fulfilled than I am and I get jealous and I compare myself and then I end up in anxiety But instead of saying oh well one day I'll get there one day. I'll have what they have one day I'll be there right instead of trying to bolster yourself up with this kind of I Just see it as like I don't know toxic positivity or wishful thinking I want to be like Instead of saying, oh, I'll get there one day. It's okay. You can chill. I Want to be like no, I want to be content in where I am now And what that means is taking my attention off of myself Like I'm preaching to myself right now guys because I'm literally going through this as we speak I was trying to make a I was thinking about making a video now Like tonight about something that would be trendy that would get a lot of views or like something that would quench this this this fear in me that I'm Not doing as much as I should do or the ministry's not growing as much as I it should and it was like so and I was like This is ridiculous. This is literally what you were like talking against a couple videos when I was talking about mission over metrics But I want you guys to know that this is a daily battle Especially when you get into comparison and so I got in the space of comparison thinking I got to do something to get people's attention to prove that I'm worth something But I want to draw I want the attention I need to take my attention off of myself and put it and Put it back on God on the mission on being content and thankful in where God has placed me like we can always We can always sit like justify our Our disc gratitude our unthankfulness whatever you want to call it because we're like well those people have so much more than me Or those people are so much further along like those people got the things that I've prayed for so that gives me license to sit in self pity because I didn't get what I wanted or But when in the grand scheme of things when we see what God has done when we see his glorious gospel and In giving his life for us Like that should snap us out of this wallowing in in oh, I'm not where I want to be or I'm not the person that like I'm not where they are and they're living such a better life than me it should snap us back and and Point our eyes on to Jesus and how wonderful he is and the rest he's inviting us into This is like when I think about one of my goals in life It's to help people see the rest that God has for them the rest and it's not this rest that I'm a good person. I can chill or like I'm a I'm I'm perfectly Capable than I'm I got this under control and I can be secure in who I am because I'm just that great No, it's a rest that we're invited to because God is that good and that gracious that he accepts us that we are his Child not because of our own doing but because of his grace for us and When I think about comparison when I think about my own anxiety about the future or the present or where I am or where I'm not I Want to come back to this all-consuming rest of God because he has so much love and Grace for you and if you're in this place where you find yourself comparing and Maybe that's causing you to feel debilitated and and stop moving forward and you're just sitting in this maybe itself pity Maybe it's discouragement. I don't want to come across as if that's not hard And you should just get out of that because it's that easy I know it's hard and I'm literally feeling the physical ramifications of feeling that anxiety like I'm shaking But I want you to know that God is with you in it. He's present with you and that and That those feelings those feelings will pass that those feelings that You've made a mistake that you're the you're irredeemable that you've failed so much or you've made too many wrong decisions anything like that because Man, God is enough for you. He is enough for you. He's enough for me You don't have to be the next big thing in this world. You don't have to get the job You don't have to get the car. You don't have to live the dream life You don't have to get the perfect spouse. You don't have to have the perfect family You don't have to have the successful ministry You just need God Let it be our prayer That we would be content in him and him alone Thank you for watching. We'll talk again