Comparison is a thief.  It steals things from you.  Time, joy, excitement, friendships, self worth, and the list goes on.  Let me tell you a little thing about comparison: It’s never what it seems.  Let’s take this picture below:

This kid is beautiful.  She’s mine.  I love her to death, and so does every person that knows her.  She has this amazing magnetic personality that draws you in and she’s oh so lovable and snuggly.  The flower in her hand?  She brought it to me and said, “Mama, I picked this for you when I was thinking about how much I loved you.”  Seriously.  She’s incredible.

But?  She actually peed her pants right before these photos.  Yes.  And I hadn’t changed her yet.  What else?  We had guests over.  Four people were in my backyard– one of whom I actually knew.  They were teenagers, so it wasn’t like I could crack a mommy joke and play it off.  One of the teen’s mother was here too.  She watched me make a path through my messy house to show her where the backyard was.  I was pretty mortified.So yes… don’t compare.  Instead, look for the beauty in things.  Instead of stressing about the messy house, or the pee-soaked pants, or feeling embarrassed that our guests saw the absolute worst side of us, I decided to look at the beauty in it.  And the beauty was my daughter, playing with a peony in the most perfect sunlight.  The beauty is having a home where guests can visit, and having so much fun with family that the housework can wait.  And what a huge blessing to be able to work from my house!

See the beauty in things, not the comparison. You never know what is really going on behind a beautiful picture or a spotlessly clean house, beautiful children, or lavish vacations.  Embrace the amazing things you’ve been given in life.  Choose beauty.