Saturday, October 27, 2012

Day 27 of 31: No More Comparisons


This quote has circulated Pinterest for quite awhile, and I like it.


In an age where we have almost instant access to so many ideas and pictures and people, it's easy to begin comparing ourselves to the spotless pictures we see.

But I've also been guilty of comparing our rental home to the home we left in OK...and I find that the quote rings true there as well.

I have to be cautious when I look back at pictures of the home we built. We spent almost four lovely years there, so it's easy to not only miss the surface details but the emotional details that come with living somewhere for a length of time.

I remember my baby, sitting on that dark granite island, curiosity getting the best of her as she stuck a chubby arm into a tall cup of ice water. Priceless expression. I remember the friends that gathered around the kitchen for pizza one night after Christmas, precious friendships.

I remember watching my oldest set off for adventures in the fields behind our yard...she would quickly be lost to sight. I miss seeing three swings occupied as I cook dinner or wash dishes or sit and read in the chair that used to be by the window.

And my pantry? That's totally a shallow thing to miss. But I do. I loved having one space for all our foodstuff and all our serving pieces & seasonal decor.

But if I linger too long wishing for what's passed, I miss the joy that will come in this house.

I'm working on treasuring the memories but not comparing my situations. All our needs and so many desires have been met in each place, despite differences.

I'm going to put my focus on the blessings He has given.

No more thieving of joy here.


~This is Day 27 of 31 Days. You can find all posts in the series here 31 Days of Making this House our Home.

2 comments:

Ursula Schneider said...

You are a wise woman. I mean no disrespect here, but only illustration. It is interesting to me that as I looked at the photos in this post, it took me a while to even see the differences, they looked very similar. It was an illustration to me, a big one, of how quickly we get caught up staring at the imperfections and get distracted from the truth (hence giving our joy away right!). I'm enjoying your 31 days. I think I'll go back and read them all. I may need to do this, learn to appreciate what I have as you are doing. TFS

Kimber-Leigh said...

ursula...your comment made me smile. agreed and not offended a bit. i thought something similar when i first saw the pictures side by side in the collage. definite similarities, for sure. neither home is "perfect"...and never will be. i think because we built our last home, more appearances were to our specifications, preferences...like colors and spaces. and hence, my comparing :)

 

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