You are an original

. . . we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original. —GALATIANS 5:26 (THE MESSAGE)

We all love Instagram and Snapchat, but at the same time, we have never had so many ways to compare our lives to our friends’ lives. We know what they are eating for breakfast, if they’re having a party, or when they are on vacation.

It can look like everyone’s life is better than ours. There’s a famous quote that says, “Comparison is the thief of joy” because when you pay too much attention to what someone else has, it’s easy to forget all the good things God has given you.

We need to remember that social media isn’t real. It’s a quick, beautiful picture that may not even be as great as it looks on Snapchat. We all have our own unique gifts. Life is too short for comparison. We need to walk our own road and not spend our time looking to the left and the right to see what everyone else is doing.

Let’s encourage each other to be the best version of who God has called us to be and cheer each other on. That’s how you build a solid foundation for real friendship. And remember, God has far more interesting things for each of us to do with our lives than spend our time comparing it to someone else.

TAKEAWAY

You are an original.

THINK ABOUT IT . . .

Instead of comparing yourself to someone else, think of five things you like most about yourself.

—Melanie Shankle, author of Fearless Faith: 100 Devotions for Girls 

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