Do you compare yourself to other moms?

When you see their family photos on social media with their perfectly dressed, smiling children, do you wonder how do they do it?

Why do their lives seem so perfect?

How did they master Proverbs 31 so well?

How does it make you feel when you attend family gatherings and hear that your niece or nephew was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” at school? Especially when, at your house, you celebrate because none of your kids failed that year.

You want to be happy for your friends’ and siblings’ children successes. But, truth be told, with every proud post or success story, you feel more like a failure as a mom.

We know how destructive it is to compare ourselves to others. It helps to keep in mind that the very ones we compare ourselves to are struggling with their own inadequacies.

Our heavenly Father knows we’re works in progress. The good news is that when we put our trust in Him, He never stops working in our lives. Philippians 1:6 (ESV) says:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the best thing we can do for ourselves and for our children is to stop focusing on where we don’t measure up and focus instead on God’s continuing work in our lives.

One way to do this is to record in a journal all the ways you see God changing and growing you as a mom. Another is to write this week’s verse on an index card so you can meditate on the verse as often as needed.

God will intervene in our efforts and help us be the person – and the parent – we pray to be. The changes in our lives will trickle down, blessing our children. Furthermore, our heavenly Father delights to see how His presence in our lives brings us joy and a sense of accomplishment.

So … if we persevere in focusing on God’s continued work in us, we’ll feel better about ourselves – and we’ll find it easier to genuinely rejoice with other moms as they celebrate their families.

What about you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. (Others might also benefit from your comment.)

• Do you compare yourself to other moms?

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