Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy

Today I feel like being real with you. Not because I'm not real with you any other day but because I want to share something from my heart as the imperfect person that I am. The world that we live in is a world of mirages - of appearances - of deception. Just go on any social media platform and all you see is a highly calculated, photoshopped version of a person. People with glamorous lives, pretty faces and even prettier clothes. It's all perfect. But what goes on behind that picture or tweet of 140 characters? What happens with all of the other words said that day, with the girl who actually feels uncomfortable in her own skin, or with the real person behind that mask?
I'll be the first one to say that it's made me jealous before, and I'm not ashamed of that. I've felt like my boring life just doesn't compare. There's always going to be someone doing cooler things than me, dressed better than me and prettier. Now it's not just celebrities that we compare ourselves to, it's also real people who try to cover up what makes them real. I can probably 100% guarantee that who you see on social media isn't the whole picture.... remember most Instagram pictures are cropped. 
Imperfection is nothing to be ashamed of. It's very rare that someone can tell you their life story and it not include some hardships and rough patches along the way. Personally, I never grew up with the picture perfect family, or boat loads of money or travelling the world as a toddler. But to me everything I never got was what made others "normal". Then I later realized that even the people who had the things I never did had to go through tough situations, even though they weren't the same as mine. If I couldn't do fun things with my mom growing up because I was part of a single parent household, the person with both parents at home didn't spend time with them because both mom and dad were working. I just didn't understand that until later. Truthfully, I'm glad for the things I wasn't given because it made me who I am today and I hope to always be grateful for the things God gives me. So can you imagine how wrong it is for us to think that people we don't even know have perfect lives? Before I told you I had a rough childhood, you may have just assumed it was all dandy. So just picture what we think about others....
Through God's perfect love, I've learned that I'm imperfect and I need him more than anything. I've learned that I'm not perfect and neither is anyone else on this planet. I've realized that a nicely composed Instagram picture is just a small snapshot which crops out 98% of what makes someone who they are. So why should I strive to become like another imperfect person when I'm already imperfect myself? I'm still in the process of making this a reality in my daily life and I encourage you to do the same along with me. Yeah, some people will always look down on people for accepting their imperfection and declaring that they need a God who is perfect to carry them through the day but that's alright. Choose to look at the small things with the biggest inspired eyes and to see beauty in everything. 
If you take something with you, take this: COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY. 
Be joyful in who God made you and don't look at someone else as better. Who says that a rose is better than a tulip? They're just different, and different is great!