The Thief of Joy

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

I read that quote somewhere online in the past year or so, and I haven't forgotten it. It's short, sweet, and to the point. Not only that, but it is one hundred percent true. There are so many ways in which this applies, but I'll only name a major few.

Social networking sites, like any other thing on earth, have their pros: you can keep in touch with those old friends, family, co-workers, other students, etc. that you don't see as often that you still want to keep in touch with, it's an easy way to share exciting things going on in your life, it's instant, and it's free. However, they also have their cons, one of them being that when looking at other peoples' lives online, you become jealous of the significant other they have, the friends they have, the "popularity" they have, their other possessions, etc. We covet what seems to be their "perfect" lives.

That's the thing, though: we forget that absolutely NO ONE has a perfect life. Not even that girl you keep following on Instagram that makes you roll your eyes, or even your old neighbor who seems to be living the "high life" on Facebook. Nobody's got it all figured out. They might appear to, but they don't. Not completely anyway.

The major problem with social networks is that we compare everyone else's biggest moments and highlights and compare them to our ordinary lives, which seem to be so incredibly dull to others.

Lately, I've been having this problem myself. With finals out of the way, I felt a relief with my grades - I did the best I could possibly do, I worked my tail off, and I was able to keep my scholarships! However, as more and more people are finding out their GPA's, they post their successes on Facebook. I can't even tell you how frustrated I am with those that manage to ALWAYS get a 4.0 GPA every semester, while I'm barely staying afloat with my 3.1 this semester.

That's another point I want to make. If there's one thing about high school and college that I can't stand, it's the whole GPA thing. Who came up with that anyway? I mean, I get it: you want as many scholarships as you can possibly get, and you want to keep them while you're in college. I get that. I am just so frustrated because it seems like I work my tail off all semester as a music student trying to get at least a few A's while there are those non-music majors that get 100's and A's on everything that comes at them. (Okay, I'm done with my rant now...)

As I step back from all that and take everything into perspective, grades, GPA's, my possessions, my popularity - none of that matters in the long run. I am a child of God who is pursuing an education in something that I love, something that God has gifted me in, and therefore is something that I know glorifies God. Why can't I just accept that and be content?

Because I compare myself with other people.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-12, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Then afterwards comes the all too familiar verse that some tend to take out of context: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (v. 13). Even though Paul was suffering through and speaking about persecution at this time, I think this truth still applies. Whatever situation God has you living through, whether it be dull, heartbreaking, or even overly exciting, we need to learn to be content with where we are and what we have.

Even though I don't have it all figured out, and even though I don't have a 4.0 GPA in school, I am His child who He loves. No one is going to judge you based on if you flunked that history final ten years down the road. However, your actions, even in school, reflect your heart: if you're giving your best to God, He will bless you for it in some way. Maybe not in the near future, but He will. It seems like I have to remind myself of this constantly . . .

May I truly believe it deep down, and may I never forget it.