Day 26--God is my source of joy.

“Me and my mom were in the car and we saw someone begging for money.  Even though my life is hard I know I could be worse off.  I thank God for my family.  That person had a God Bless sign…it just impacted me a lot.” –Kyle D.

It’s tempting to compare yourself to the person next to you, but that’s a slippery slope.  As soon as you catch up to what that person has, how that person looks, who that person knows….someone else is going to come along with something better.  You might as well just...   

 

...let it go.

God loves you no matter how much you have or how little.  He hasn’t stopped blessing you even if you don’t have an IPhone. 

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Count your blessings, name them one by one, for there are many of them!  The peace of God and the joy of His will don’t come from the things around you anyway.  They come from the thankfulness we feel inside no matter what’s going on around us.  Your God loves you.  And He wants you to know the true happiness of living life with Him. 

Father, help me to resist the temptation today to compare my have’s and have-not’s with those around me.  Help me to, instead, focus on you and the joy that can only come from walking with you.  Amen.