My Odd Life...Comparison is the Death of Joy....

Today......

I've had 2,551 views since October.....Is that good? If so.....then thanks for viewing and sharing!  

If not....then why aren't you sharing this blog?  :-) 

Just kidding....I have no idea if an average of 800 views per month is good or not........ I shall blog on anyway! I know there are at least three of you who look forward to this weekly....so here goes...

People can get discouraged by judging their worth or happiness by the successes of others! They can get stuck in "neutral" because they compare what they are doing to what others are doing, how they are doing it, and when they got it done!

I may think I'm doing great with 2,551 blog views....then one of you will  burst my bubble and inform me that Joyce Meyer has 2 million views per month....Thanks a lot! 
(Disclaimer- I have no idea how many hits Joyce Meyer's nor any other ministry's site gets per month....but I'm sure she gets a WHOLE lot more than 800!)

Can't I just be happy about how far I've come?

Pastors compare sizes of congregations, number of services per week, how many respond for prayer, what kind of building they have.

Traveling ministers compare where they've ministered, how full their calendar is, how many appearances they've had on a Christian TV network.

Credit scores, Job titles, GPAs....

Cars, houses, investments, designer handbags.....

Men compare biceps. Women compare.....well, you know....

Mark Twain said, "Comparison is the death of joy."

Take my odd life, for example....most women my age are celebrating decades of marriage....I've started over again......going on 18 months....(BTW...the honeymoon is NOT OVER YET- WOO-HOO!!) 

Most people my age are getting ready for retirement.....I'm starting to launch my itinerant ministry.

Most people my age have established a "home base" where the grandkids know that GG and Papa live.... you know....where everyone gathers for holiday meals and such......I have moved every 27 months for the past 17 years......I have to remind my mother where I live......

If I compared my life with "most people" I could be discouraged.....but I'm not! I'm excited! I'm joyful! I'm anticipating great things!  My odd life has given me many rich life experiences...not all have been good...but they have all been rich! 

Conversely, there may be some who compare their lives to mine.....and are tempted to think, "Man, she gets all the breaks.....I wish I lived in the sugar cane fields of Southern Louisiana....."  

When I married the AMAZING MR. MICHAEL A. BRINTNALL (after being single for only a little over three years) someone said to me, "WOW. THAT WAS FAST!"  

Maybe for YOU it was fast....but for me.....it wasn't so fast! 

For the Amazing Mr. Brintnall and me...... it was the exact right time!

I was tempted to compare myself to others when we were courting....."What will people think? So- and-so has been single for over a decade, and here I am....considering marrying this man after being single only three years! Will people think I'm in sin?" 

I am extremely happily married to the Amazing Mr. Brintnall because I followed God. I listened to HIS direction. I followed peace. I did get the approval of my spiritual father, but I didn't wait for him to tell me, " Thus saith the Lord, 'This is your husband.'" 

The timing and the way in which I met the Amazing Mr. Brintnall did not fit any of the preconceived notions I had. It did not measure up to any comparisons that had been put in front of me as examples........

How many opportunities have you missed because of comparisons like these?

• No one in my family has ever.......
• The people in my circle of influence only.....
• I heard someone say that you should ALWAYS....
• I've never seen it done that way before.....

God may have something for you to do that no one has ever done before, in a way that no one has ever done it, at a time in life when no one else would dare to do it.

Don't compare your situation with another individual's. You are unique. Your situation is different. You may have jumped through some hurdles that others haven't, but you may also have some advantages that others don't have.

I want to encourage you today to avoid comparison. Do what YOU are supposed to do, the way you are supposed to do it, in the timing that is right for YOU! Here are some tips for moving forward without comparison-

• Seek wise counsel from those who are committed to your success, but don't seek their control.
• Pray. Listen. Follow whatever direction brings peace to your heart.
• When it's time to take that step into what YOU are supposed to do, you will know.
• Don't try to take huge leaps, just take one step at a time and pretty soon you'll see that you've made a leap!
• Get so busy doing and becoming better at what you are supposed to do, that you don't have the time to compare yourself to others.

TODAY.....I began to tell you about how I met the AMAZING MR. BRINTNALL....wait until you hear the rest of the story!

Check in next week. I'll blog more then. Until then, do something today to fulfill your purpose!

AND..... DON'T LET ANYONE KILL YOUR JOY!!!