WEBVTT - A Prayer to Forgo Comparison

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,

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<v Speaker 1>where we help you find the words you need to

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<v Speaker 1>connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what is

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<v Speaker 1>happening in your life today, you can trust that God

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<v Speaker 1>wants to hear from you. Right after this short word

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<v Speaker 1>from our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer to forego

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<v Speaker 1>A Prayer to Forgo Comparison Written by Tammy Darling Read

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<v Speaker 1>by Carrie Eichberger Each one should test their own actions.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing

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<v Speaker 1>themselves to someone else. Galatians 6 verse 4 The day

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<v Speaker 1>was the perfect combination of yuck and ugly. From the

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<v Speaker 1>moment I woke up, my attitude was yuck, and I

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<v Speaker 1>felt nothing but ugly, inside and out. Perusing Facebook didn't help.

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<v Speaker 1>One friend was going on vacation, another extolling the myriad

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<v Speaker 1>accomplishments of her teenage daughter, and still another posting before

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<v Speaker 1>and after pics of her 25-pound weight loss. Once again,

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<v Speaker 1>I played the comparison game. And every time I play,

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<v Speaker 1>I lose. Every single time. There's a cost to comparison

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<v Speaker 1>that we just don't consider beforehand. It leaves us bankrupt

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<v Speaker 1>in the end. Comparison began in the Garden of Eden

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<v Speaker 1>when Eve compared what the snake told her with what

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<v Speaker 1>God had already said. After comparing the two, She decided

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<v Speaker 1>she'd rather have what the snake was offering. Comparison has

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<v Speaker 1>been a problem ever since. There's a huge lie swirling

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<v Speaker 1>around us that says we're not enough. Just look at her.

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<v Speaker 1>You should look that good. Or see his wife, his car,

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<v Speaker 1>his position in the company. What have you got? And

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<v Speaker 1>so our hungry heart seeks that which cannot be fulfilled

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<v Speaker 1>by the world. Comparison is fear-based. It arises from the

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<v Speaker 1>lie that we're not good enough or are inadequate. We

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<v Speaker 1>fear we're missing out, that we'll never measure up, that

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<v Speaker 1>others are more valued or favored. The result is insecurity.

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<v Speaker 1>And before long, we're no longer living from who we

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<v Speaker 1>were created to be. At its core, comparison is a

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<v Speaker 1>heart issue. It reveals our brokenness and leads to dissatisfaction

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<v Speaker 1>with who we are and what we have. When things

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<v Speaker 1>aren't right on the inside, we'll seek approval from the outside.

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<v Speaker 1>But the world cannot provide what only God can give.

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<v Speaker 1>God has a specific plan for each of our lives

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<v Speaker 1>that cannot be fulfilled if we look to others for validation.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the greatest costs of comparison is that it

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<v Speaker 1>steals our destiny and our potential. We should never trade

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<v Speaker 1>our destiny with what someone else has. What another person

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<v Speaker 1>has wasn't meant for us and won't take us where

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<v Speaker 1>we need to be. We can get so caught up

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<v Speaker 1>in what everyone else is doing that we miss the

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<v Speaker 1>opportunities right in front of us. We're looking out the

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<v Speaker 1>window at the neighbor while God has just opened a

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<v Speaker 1>door in the next room, but we don't even realize it.

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<v Speaker 1>Comparison warps our identity, and we lose sight of how

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<v Speaker 1>awesome we really are. You are richer than you think,

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<v Speaker 1>more loved than you know, more beautiful than you believe.

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<v Speaker 1>But when we compare ourselves to others, we forget what

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<v Speaker 1>God says about us. I spent many years comparing myself

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<v Speaker 1>to other women. I was miserable beyond measure. No good

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<v Speaker 1>thing comes from comparing oneself to another. Finally, I got

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<v Speaker 1>a clue. There are a million ways to die, but

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<v Speaker 1>only one way to truly live. The way God made me.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of comparing myself to others, I learned that my

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<v Speaker 1>true beauty is revealed when I make peace with my

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<v Speaker 1>own reflection. The danger of social media is in believing

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<v Speaker 1>that what you see or read is all there is

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<v Speaker 1>to the matter. No one is as happy-clappy as they

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<v Speaker 1>make it out to be. But like a cancer, social

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<v Speaker 1>media comparison eats away at our being. A heart at

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<v Speaker 1>peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of comparing myself with others, I've started comparing myself

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<v Speaker 1>to myself. For instance, if I'm using the treadmill to

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<v Speaker 1>improve my health, I no longer compare myself to someone

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<v Speaker 1>who just hiked 10 miles or ran the 5k. That's

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<v Speaker 1>the fastest way to get discouraged. Instead, I compare today's

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<v Speaker 1>progress to yesterday's progress. Am I improving, beating my own time,

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<v Speaker 1>becoming healthier? When we know that we've done our best,

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<v Speaker 1>there's no reason to compare ourselves to anyone else. If

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<v Speaker 1>we rely on God's opinion rather than others when it

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<v Speaker 1>comes to what defines success, beauty, and so many other things,

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<v Speaker 1>we won't compare ourselves to anyone else. We have God's

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<v Speaker 1>measuring stick, not our own or that of others, that

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<v Speaker 1>we can live by. And that is enough. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>it's more than enough. I don't want to forfeit my

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<v Speaker 1>true heart's desire because I'm playing the comparison game. I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't put on this earth to live for the approval

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<v Speaker 1>of others or to beat them in some imaginary game

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<v Speaker 1>of life. I want to remain faithful to who I am,

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<v Speaker 1>who God created me to be. Comparison is ugly, no

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<v Speaker 1>matter how you try to color it. The cost of

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<v Speaker 1>comparison is simply too high. It's a price I'm no

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<v Speaker 1>longer willing to pay. I don't want to live bankrupt.

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<v Speaker 1>My heart's desire is is found in God alone. Let's pray.

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<v Speaker 1>Heavenly Father, we renounce all comparisons and lay down the

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<v Speaker 1>need to judge ourselves against others. No more stare and compare.

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<v Speaker 1>Comparison is not of you. We thank you for being

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<v Speaker 1>fearfully and wonderfully made. You do not make mistakes, and

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<v Speaker 1>our individual unique qualities and quirks are specially designed by you,

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<v Speaker 1>our Master Creator. May we learn to embrace who you

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<v Speaker 1>created us to be, and may we remind ourselves each

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<v Speaker 1>day who you say we are. In your great name

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<v Speaker 1>we pray. Amen. Your Daily Prayer is a production of

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