It can be tempting to become frustrated at those who seem to have it so much better than we do. We can find ourselves wishing for what someone else has. We may wish we had that job or that house or that family. We look at our own situation and wonder how we got here. Comparison is the enemy. Comparison steals our peace, our joy, and our ability to love. Comparison shifts our vision so that we don’t truly see, we are blinded by greed or envy or anger. We begin to wonder why God hasn’t been as good to us. We worry because we see other people prospering more than us. And we go down a path that is destructive and deceitful. It leads to no good.
When this happens, when we find ourselves traveling down this path, we need a vision shift. We need to take a close look at the goodness we have been given. We must stop comparing and start giving thanks. We have so much more than we realize. We have been given so many good things we take for granted. We are loved beyond measure. We are filled with enough. We are called children of God. These are treasures that no amount of possessions can replace. The things which we think are so very important are usually the things which cause us to forsake our peace.
The good news is God can help us to see differently. The Holy Spirit can fill our vision with the abundance of God’s goodness which abounds in our own lives. He can help us to begin to understand the things of this world are fleeting and often of way less value than we give them. What matters is God’s steadfast love. God’s mercy, his grace and his peace can fill our empty souls. God can give us more than what we could ever imagine – and it is better than anything we can find in a magazine or online. God can give us all we need to live a full life, today. Maybe we just need a vision shift to see it. And it isn’t found in our neighbor’s yard, but maybe in our neighbor’s heart.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 37:3-8
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 