This is not what my life was supposed to look like right now. I wrote down where I saw myself 10 years ago, and it looked nothing like this. We were supposed to have our own home, I was supposed to be driving my dream car, my kids were supposed to have gone to the best schools, my husband’s career was supposed to have gone a different direction.

It feels like 1 step forward, 10 steps back and I find myself beginning to shift back into auto-pilot. Just waiting to see where life will take me next. It’s in these moments that I find myself comparing my life with others, especially those who have the things I long for. If I’m being honest, those feelings of jealousy sneak up more times than I care to admit. I could be alone in this, but something tells me this feeling of inadequacy is universal. We sit down to scroll our social media feed and we’re bombarded with everyone’s highlight reel.

Somebody has just accepted their dream job, while you’re struggling to make ends meet. Another has just purchased their dream home, while you are still struggling to rebuild your credit score. You see that picture of a positive pregnancy test, just moments after reading “negative” on your own. Again. That friend who struggled to loose the weight from high school, just posted her before and after picture. She is now 3 sizes smaller than you. Oh, look! Another engagement ring…

We’re not even half way down our news feed and already feeling less-than. Questioning everything we thought we once knew. Our purpose, our beliefs, our life choices. All of it. Comparison truly is the thief of joy. I think deep down, we know there’s probably more to their stories than we realize, but we can’t seem to get past the here and now.

2 Corinthians 10:12 reads “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” There is so much wisdom in this passage. If the enemy can keep us distracted and isolated in the company of our own perceived thoughts, his job is done. At this point we’ve taken over and allowed our minds to become our worst enemy.

The truth is, there are always 2 sides to every story. And to every social media post. That dream job? Cost him his family. That “dream house”? Came after years of settling for junky apartments in less-than-ideal neighborhoods.That weight loss journey? Was just that. A journey. It took dedication, self-discipline and sacrifice. That couple announcing their pregnancy? They hesitated to share the news after suffering previous loss, and infertility.That engagement ring? Came after years of broken relationships.

Too many times we feel shame because we don’t have it all together. We put on a facade. Fake it, till we make it. The problem with that mentality is it makes for a lonely journey and few to celebrate with at the top. Everyone comes from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different situations. We all deal with different things. One thing we have in common is that we have all struggled in one area or another. What if, instead of only highlighting the good, we begin to highlight the journey God has taken us on and the faith it took to see it through?

We can become so focused on fulfilling our future purpose. Our “calling”. That we forget God can and wants to use us in the very season we’re in. Here and Now. The journey He’s taking us on to become who we are ultimately designed to be is where we learn some of the best life lessons. Our seemingly “insignificant” season is preparation for an impactful purpose.

The lie: We’re incapable and under qualified to help others because we feel like we have yet to “arrive”. The truth: God has perfectly positioned us to be the answer to their prayers because of where we have been.

We never truly arrive. Walking with God is and will always be a journey with opportunities for growth. Being candid about our struggles, insecurities, fears is often what gives us the power to overcome them and grow through them. It’s often what God uses to pull someone out of their feeling of isolation and give them just enough hope to get up and try one.more.time. Who knows, maybe it was the whole reason we went through it in the first place; to be the answer to someone else’s prayer.

“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:3 No one can say for certain, why God allows us to go through some of the trials we face. What we do know, is that no matter how earth shattering somehow, we always get through them. Although it’s difficult to comprehend in the moment, life will go on after they’ve come and gone. It may be different yes, but so will we.

“Trials come to make us stronger” – sounds so cliché but the truth is, they either make us, or break us. Reacting with intention, even in the most difficult times plays a crucial role in allowing God to mold and shape us into the person we want and need to be. Focusing on who God is rather than what life feels like makes all the difference. The problem is when we begin to doubt who God says He is. If we TRULY believe God is good, He is good even when life is not.

The thing about seasons is they always change. You never know who God is preparing to walk with you through your next one.