When Comparison Gets in the Way of Enjoying a Good Gift

An Unexpected Gift

We didn’t really mean to buy a house. When we discussed it over Christmas vacation, we actually decided not to buy a house. But then, we saw a house on Zillow, and thought we’d check it out. The next thing we knew we sat in the realtor’s office and said, “Sure we’ll look, but we’re in no hurry.” A week later we walked into our future home, smitten. Days later our offer was accepted. Less than a month after deciding not to buy a house, we were in escrow. The whole experience felt as if God simply placed this beautiful new home in our lap on a silver platter. He even provided some extra money to cover the costs of some much needed renovations.

Comparison

Despite all the serendipitous events that led to home ownership, the accompanying waves of fear, ambivalence, and comparison have not been lost on me.

But what if something better comes along?

What if it’s too small?

The worst is when I look at your house and then look at my house and wonder if it measures up.

The Struggle Behind the Happy Faces

It would be too easy to gush over our new home and convince you that I had no doubts throughout the process. I could appear totally confident and totally happy with our purchase. I can show you all the pretty pictures and our happy faces and never give you any hint of real life. But that wouldn’t be the whole picture.

And the truth is, you struggle with comparison too. We all look at our own lot and see how what it lacks compared to another’s.

Sometimes we feel like God is somehow holding out on us, that he favors others over us and we measure it by the amount, size, or beauty of our things. We forget the words of Jesus that our life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions. Because it often feels as if it does.

Enjoying the Gift Without Comparing

The struggle is real. But I overcame it as I looked at the story of my life and what God has done for me and called it good. I took my eyes off your stuff and I looked at Him.

God’s favor is not measured in possessions, but in grace. And we have all been given an abundance of grace, gift after gift after gift. Our gifts may look different, but they are gifts nonetheless.

Let’s Make our Homes Simply Beautiful

In the next few weeks I plan to continue to share the progress on our home projects. I don’t want to stir up jealousy or comparison by sharing our progress, but I hope to inspire you in two ways: First and foremost I hope that I can inspire you to love what you already have. What you’ve been given is simply beautiful because it is yours, and because it comes from your good Father. Secondly, I hope that our projects might inspire creativity and ideas for making your home simply beautiful.

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