Today I opened up Facebook and in my feed I saw a friend's success. Social media makes it easy to do that all day long. Guess what my response was? It was not of joy for her, if you're wondering. I began to think about how much better that friend was than me. I began to compare myself and I was found wanting....a lot. I battled in my head with these negative thoughts. Then this quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt came into my head.
So I posted this on my Facebook page to combat the loud voices that were doing their best to ruin my morning/day. Putting that positive thought out into the universe made me feel stronger. And I felt better for a while.
But then the negative voices came back and they were just as loud and insistent as ever. That nasty Satan was working really hard to get me down. But I was not planning on letting him win.
I remembered a talk from an LDS General Conference meeting in 2002. It was a message about the familiar story of the prodigal son. But the main message was more about the other son that we don't think about so much. It was about the son that stayed. The message that stuck with me when I heard it years ago was this, don't compare yourself to others!! So I found it and listened to it today. Here is a snippet of it:
"Who is it that whispers so subtly in our ear that a gift given to another somehow diminishes the blessings we have received? Who makes us feel that if God is smiling on another, then He surely must somehow be frowning on us? You and I both know who does this—it is the father of all lies. It is Lucifer, our common enemy...
But God does not work this way. The father in this story does not tantalize his children. He does not mercilessly measure them against their neighbors. He doesn’t even compare them with each other. His gestures of compassion toward one do not require a withdrawal or denial of love for the other. He is divinely generous...
All are privileged, the one like unto the other. Walk peacefully. Walk confidently. Walk without fear and without envy. Be reassured of Heavenly Father’s abundance to you always.
As we do this, we can help others, calling down blessings on them even as they make supplication for us. We can cheer every talent and ability, wherever it is bestowed, thus making life here more nearly what it will be like in heaven."
There is so much power in realizing that what we are thinking and believing is true is actually a lie. When we label it as a lie we can then realize it's source. It's from Satan, the father of all lies. Then we can counter it with pure truth. It' s a very powerful formula and it saved my day!
So here's what I learned today:
1. Satan is the father of all lies.
2. Thinking about how much I lacked made me feel awful. Lies make you feel that way.
3. God is the source of truth.
4. Thinking about the love that God has for me made me feel amazing. Truth makes you feel that way.
No comments:
Post a Comment