End Negative Comparison and Experience New Purpose

Has comparison kept you from fulfilling the purpose God intended for you? Do you experience highs and lows in your positive outlook based on appearance or body or image? This week, we continue from last week with talking about how to break the chains of unhealthy comparison and experience God’s best for us.Last week, I talked with Heather Creekmore about comparison and about how she overcame a constant struggle with body image. This week, let’s continue that conversation with some thoughts about how comparison affects everyday life and how we can change our mindset.I’m not sure we ever really get over comparison. But I’m in a better place than I was at one point. I want to share some of the dangers that I talked about in the opening chapters of my book, The Repurposed and Upcycled Life.The dangers come when our mindset centers around our physical appearance or even our body health and not the other way around.If I believe that I can only smile if I am thin, or if I have lost my joy, what happens if my body changes?When I think other people have something that God forgot to give me, comparison has gone awry.If I lose weight and people tell me I look great and then I gain some, or all of it, back, what do I now believe about myself? See episode 8  where I talked about how we can start to make this part of our self-worth.When I long for someone else’s life, body, job, talents, success, etc. and I don’t see what I already have, this is dangerous.If my insecurity about my body, my image, abilities, or anything else causes me to withdraw from participating in life or from volunteering or serving, comparison has frozen me.Let’s look for some ways we can move past comparison to a healthy place of living out what God has designed for each of us. Show notes and resources This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com