11 August 2021
Changing the Way I Think
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
I have learned that the one thing is that is the worst thing for my heart is to compare myself to someone else. Whether it is what they are doing or what they have, comparing it to myself & my stuff is not good. The reason that it’s dangerous is that what I’m seeing is often largely inaccurate.
Moms are the worst. When they talk to each other they can often get carried away with their ideal over reality. When our kids were young, I met a fellow homeschooling mom who shared about making costumes and authentic food from the classic literature they were reading. I felt really inadequate as my homeschooling day never looked liked that. A successful day for me would be one day in a row without someone crying over math. I quickly solved my problem by not hanging out with that mom anymore. She actually had one kid who was into it, but the costumes and food was torture for the other one who wanted to just play outside. That’s just it: We do not even get an accurate picture of what we are comparing ourselves to! So, to think, Aw, I wish I was like her... is actually impossible because not even her is like her!
Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think...
Our feelings lie to us; everyone knows that. What I must also remember is that my perception can lie to me too. What I covet about someone else’s life probably isn’t accurate in the first place. Don’t keep up with the Joneses; don’t look over the fence; the grass is not greener. All these are secular sayings that don’t actually change the way I think. Only God helps me change the way I think. It is a power from him that I need that I do not have on my own.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Only God can make such a fittingly bold claim: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. That’s where I get the ability and confidence to not compare myself or my life to anyone else’s. If God were absent, I would totally be relying on inaccurate humans to navigate life & copy their behavior so hopefully things turn out well for me. But God is not absent; he is ever present! God is dealing personally with me, providing for me personally, instructing me personally – not in a group. So I don’t need to compare myself to the group of people that is not me.
Dear God,
Thank you for rescuing me from being discontent by changing the way I think. Thank you that I don’t need to copy anyone else but simply trust you to equip me for my day not someone else’s. Thank you for what I have and for the heart to be glad for others to have what they have. You are kind and generous to all not just some, and I love you, and I just can’t thank you enough, and I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Changing the Way I Think
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
I have learned that the one thing is that is the worst thing for my heart is to compare myself to someone else. Whether it is what they are doing or what they have, comparing it to myself & my stuff is not good. The reason that it’s dangerous is that what I’m seeing is often largely inaccurate.
Moms are the worst. When they talk to each other they can often get carried away with their ideal over reality. When our kids were young, I met a fellow homeschooling mom who shared about making costumes and authentic food from the classic literature they were reading. I felt really inadequate as my homeschooling day never looked liked that. A successful day for me would be one day in a row without someone crying over math. I quickly solved my problem by not hanging out with that mom anymore. She actually had one kid who was into it, but the costumes and food was torture for the other one who wanted to just play outside. That’s just it: We do not even get an accurate picture of what we are comparing ourselves to! So, to think, Aw, I wish I was like her... is actually impossible because not even her is like her!
Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think...
Our feelings lie to us; everyone knows that. What I must also remember is that my perception can lie to me too. What I covet about someone else’s life probably isn’t accurate in the first place. Don’t keep up with the Joneses; don’t look over the fence; the grass is not greener. All these are secular sayings that don’t actually change the way I think. Only God helps me change the way I think. It is a power from him that I need that I do not have on my own.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Only God can make such a fittingly bold claim: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. That’s where I get the ability and confidence to not compare myself or my life to anyone else’s. If God were absent, I would totally be relying on inaccurate humans to navigate life & copy their behavior so hopefully things turn out well for me. But God is not absent; he is ever present! God is dealing personally with me, providing for me personally, instructing me personally – not in a group. So I don’t need to compare myself to the group of people that is not me.
Dear God,
Thank you for rescuing me from being discontent by changing the way I think. Thank you that I don’t need to copy anyone else but simply trust you to equip me for my day not someone else’s. Thank you for what I have and for the heart to be glad for others to have what they have. You are kind and generous to all not just some, and I love you, and I just can’t thank you enough, and I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
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