I want to be honest about something…

There is a desire—a struggle

that sometimes rises up from within my soul…

…it’s a desire to be

“more like ‘them’, and less like me“…

And I don’t like it, I don’t want to see it…

but when it rises to the surface

I must face it, I must address it.

I must look at what He brings into the light for me to be aware of,

…for me to see. ☀️

It’s a struggle that I’d like to “put to death”

once and for all.

And I know…

that “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”…

Yet still, there are times…

when I look at “them“

and I look at “me“

and in the moment

all I see is lack…

all I see is less

all I see is

how I want to be

“more like them“

and

“less like me.”

But “comparison” to one another

is a deadly distraction

and “a thief”

…a rotten thief. 🥀

And I look at my sin, and I look at my struggle…

and I see…

And I feel the deadly, nagging, drag of “comparison”…

But then my heavenly Father, so faithfully reminds me

…in a way that only He can… 💖📖☀️

He takes me over to His “mirror”…

and He shows me

that He created me

to be

and to grow

into who I am

with Christ

living His light

through, “uniquely” me.

(The only “me” that I was purposely created to be!)

How can this be,

if I’m too distracted, and disgruntled, and discouraged

to be the “me”

that He designed me to be?

How can this be,

if my focus is on “them” and what I feel I’m “lacking”

…and not on Him

being ALL that I need

to be…me, with Him…living from within me.

How the enemy wants to distract my eyes

he wants to tempt me to dwell on

“them“

“If only I could be more like ‘them‘…. then I could really flourish.”

Lies.

It’s the dangerous path of comparison

which turns into

the illusion of envy

which can lead us into

a very real,

very deadly direction,

should we choose to take it.

But He comes… ☀️💝

and He draws us into His light

so that we can see

so that we can be aware

so that we can realize…

He gives us opportunity to resist,

and to turn,

and to grow in Him.

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”—Proverbs 14:30

“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”—1 Peter 2:1-2

“So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.”—James 4:7 AMP

And so I look at my soulish “desire” —my struggle, revealed in the safety of His loving light…

and then as I turn my gaze toward Him, as I dwell on the truth of His Word…

I’m reminded,

of HIS desire…

this beautiful opportunity

and it’s THIS… 💗🙌

“Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!“—Colossians 1:27 TPT

What a beautiful invitation…

to be “me” and only “me”

but with Him, living and radiating His light, through me. 💡

And the truth is…

there is only one opportunity

—this one life

to live out, being the “me” that He created me to be

….”me” with Jesus

living through me.

He desires to live through us in such a way,

that others can get a glimpse—perspective

into the infinite depth of beauty

…of God’s multifaceted character, the personality of His heart.

…a heart that hand-crafted you, and hand-crafted me.

Oh God, help me to rip my eyes from looking at “them”

to focus on Your desire, Your heart…

for me to be

uniquely “me”…

with Jesus living and breathing LIFE into and through me.

It’s the way You designed it to be. 💗

It’s the way You desire it to be. 💝

So I will face my sin with You, Father…I see what it’s doing. And I will return my focus on YOU. 💖☀️

“But you, beloved brothers and sisters, are not living in the dark, allowing that day to creep up on you like a thief coming to steal. ⁵ For you are all children of the light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night nor to darkness. ⁶ This is why we must not fall asleep, as the rest do, but keep wide awake and clearheaded. ⁷ For those who are asleep sleep the night away, and drunkards get drunk at night.⁸ But since we belong to the day, we must stay alert and clearheaded by placing the breastplate of faith and love over our hearts, and a helmet of the hope of salvation over our thoughts.⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. ¹⁰ He gave his life for us so that we may share in resurrection life in union with him—whether we’re awake or asleep. ¹¹ Because of this, encourage the hearts of your fellow believers and support one another, just as you have already been doing.”—1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 TPT

Thank You, Father. 💝

-Heather 🌺