Daily Power #305

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chron. 16:34 ESV)

My grandma was an amazing lady. As someone who grew up in the Great Depression, she deeply valued hard work, discipline, and financial responsibility. She was one who never spent much on herself, but was often generous with others.

Since my sister Lisa and I share the same birthday (three years apart to the exact day), we always looked forward to receiving Grandma’s card in the mail, always stuffed with a check for some extra spending cash. Year after year, I’d wait for Lisa to open her card first. “Twenty bucks!” she’d shout, already thinking about how she would spend it.

Then I’d open my card, read what was written, then unfold the check. Each time it was just like Lisa’s, exactly twenty dollars. But instead of celebrating the same amount, I’d fake Lisa out and shout, “Wow! I got $100!” Of course, I was just joking, but she would get so upset. The funny thing is that she’d fall for the same trick year after year.

Then one year, Grandma must have caught wind of it. Because that year I opened my twenty-dollar check and pretended like it was $100! But when Lisa opened her check, it wasn’t for $20. It was actually $100!

There is never a winner when we compare. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Remember, the most joyful person isn’t the one who has the most but the one who is thankful for the most.

Power Lift

Dear God, you provide so much and I’m more than grateful. Help me not to compare but to see the abundance of blessings in my life each day.