I was eating breakfast with my kids one morning. We have devotions over the breakfast table everyday before I drive them to school. We were talking about being careful not to compare ourselves with others.
The problem with comparing is that one will always come up better. This ends up with either pride or a poverty mentality. Pride causes us to compare ourselves with others while poverty causes us to compare others with ourselves.
The solution? A heart of gratitude.
Reading Robert Morris’ The Blessed Life made me realize a few things…
When you think about your situation in life…
Pride says, “I deserve more!”
Poverty says, “I should feel guilty.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you!” (Gratitude is an attitude of thankfulness that always acknowledges God’s provision.”
When someone says, “Wow, you have a nice cellphone!”
Pride says, “I have 2 other nice ones at home.”
Poverty says, “I got it at 50% off.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you!”
When someone says, “That’s a nice car!”
Pride says, “It’s just my everyday car.”
Poverty says, “It’s a company car.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you.”
When someone says, “That a nice shirt.”
Pride says, “It came from Europe.
“Poverty says, “It was on sale.”
Gratitude says, “Thank you.”
Pride wants people to think that we paid more.
Poverty wants people to think we paid less. (Yikes, I fall into this trap all too often.)
Gratitude doesn’t care what people think; it only cares what God thinks.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6
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