Comparison Trap

Have you ever considered the state of your life and compared it to the lives of others closest to you? How did it make you feel? Most likely your comparison involved looking at areas of their lives that were more polished than yours, making you feel envious. We can often fall for that trap and it’s ramifications are so severe that it’s even in the ten commandments: Thou shall not covet! (Exodus 20:17)

Home Searching

My wife and I were looking for a home to purchase a few months back and after spending $1,500 (not to mention hours that could have been spent on work), we came out of the hunt with more knowledge but no home. Discouragement setting in, we truly were in no position to purchase a home due to requiring 10% of our down payment due to the state of our yearly tax returns as business owners. It made more sense to wait toward 2023 to look again as we would only be required to put a 5% down payment and be able to amass more finances toward our home.

It was in these moments of discouragement where I began to think about the houses of my friends in a manner that I shouldn’t have. Questions began pouring in: “What are they doing that is working out well for them? Are you not pleased with us God? Florida is so expensive, why can’t we just move to another state?” Hopelessness began to set in for a few days until I remembered God’s faithfulness.

His Faithfulness

I remembered when I first encountered the voice of God in my life in the summer of 2015 where I heard Him ask me to visit Japan to encourage a friend of mine who was serving as a missionary. “God, I don’t have the finances, but if You provide it, then I’ll go,” I replied. The next morning, my roommate informed me that our neighbor had knocked on the door looking for a Computer Programmer to help him with work. I was the only programmer in the house. I began to work for him outside of my career work hours and amassed more than enough for the trip. God was faithful.

I remembered signing up for a mission trip to Guatemala in 2016 and no one was sowing into my $1,200 cost for the trip. Doubts set in over the months that would pass as no one would donate to the trip time and time again, social media post after social media post. It was now the deadline after 7 months and I only had $200 something in my account. I came before the Lord weeping, wrestling with thoughts that I was not worth sowing into, that I was not good ground. I responded to my thoughts with the truth of God’s word and doubted my doubts. Peace set in, and I slept.

The next day, I received an email from work about money that had come into my account. I didn’t know what this meant, so I looked into it further and found that I had been rewarded a $1,500 bonus because of my efforts on a given project. Suddenly I had more than enough for the mission trip. God was faithful!

Shifting Our Eyes Back to Him

Year after year God would prove His faithfulness to me, and then my wife and I once we were married. There could be no other response but thanksgiving when remembering His faithfulness toward us, and this home buying process can be no different. I was quickened to remember the testimonies of God and my eyes were shifted back to where they belonged—God Himself.

We still don’t have a home but there’s joy, joy in knowing that it’ll all come in its right time. All I can do is be faithful in my day to day and live with vision. Jesus is worthy of my love, and I can’t afford to take my eyes off Him by comparing myself to others and coveting that which is not mine.

I hope this encourages you to stop and give thanks for God’s faithfulness in your life and to remember that though you may not have now what you desire, you can have hope that with God all things are possible and it’ll all fall into place in time.