When You Feel Like Everyone Else's Life is Better
So we scroll and scroll and scroll and lose count of the people who have way better lives than us.You know -- the ones who have the best clothes, take the best trips, have the cutest kids, and seem to have the very best marriages.Or maybe the ones who don't necessarily have all those things, but they're the most creative and have the coolest jobs and hang out with the most exciting friends.They definitely have better lives than us. No doubt about it.Way more money. Way less stress. Way more fun.It's just NOT FAIR.God, how can it be fair that I have to deal with all these struggles while she lives her easy life?And then He replies:
... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 (NIV)
to remind us that everything is level at the foot of the cross. No one is better than anyone else.And we're like, "Ok yeah we all sin, but she was still dealt a better hand than me!"So, He kindly counters:
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. Acts 17:26 (NIV)
to prove to us that we have been placed in the specific life we live for a holy reason.The thing is, we will never all be in the same social class or drive the same cars. We won't take the same trips or post the same filtered pictures. We can compare to those who have "better" lives than us all day, but we could also compare down to those who have so much less than us. And then we'd have to say, "That's just not fair."It's not fair that a sinless man died on a cross for the sins of the entire world, but it had to happen for our souls' sakes.We can convince ourselves that everyone has better lives than us, or we can focus on the life that was laid down for us to have eternal glory.I saw a quote a few days ago that said something like, "You will find whatever you look for."If you look for the negative, you'll see it. If you look for the beauty, it'll always be there.If you truly believe everyone around you has a better life, then that will be your reality. But if you believe that everyone fights their own battles and struggles in ways you may never see, your perspective will shift. You will think of the people you see on Instagram or in real life as children of God. You will have more compassion and empathy for those around you. You will scroll a little less and send up praise a little more.Everyone's life is not better than yours, but your life is better than you think. Gratitude is so much more helpful than grumbling and celebration always triumphs comparison. So, thank God for your unique, lovely life and celebrate it and the other lives you come across.Your life will be full when it's full of contentment. Embrace whatever it is God gave you and use it to love others and glorify Him. THAT is the best possible life anyone can live.