Comparison Kills Contentment
“Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly” Mark 8:25
“Comparison Kills Contentment” is a phrase that holds tremendous truth. This day and age with social media and growing competition in grades, sports, and, really, life, we compare ourselves to others without even realizing it.
When we see the “perfect” lives people live through social media outlets or interactions, we see the holes in our own lives and places where there’s “room for improvement”. It can be something as simple as seeing where a friend went to spring break or beautiful prom pictures- we tell ourselves we must DO and BE BETTER! This only leaves us feeling inadequate and striving for a perfection that is never attainable. And what do we use to compare…our EYES!
Throughout the bible there’s multiple references to the power that our eyes have over our life and mental health. In Matthew 6:22 it says “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light”. We’re also told in 1 John 2:16 “for all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes…is not from the Father but from the world”.
From these few references, God tells us that living a joyful life apart from the world and in accordance with the Father, consists of cleansing our eyes. Our eyes hold judgements, yearnings, jealously, bitterness, and pull us farther from the Father and ourselves.
So what is the answer to help us see clearly, to purify our eyes and, in turn, our hearts? JESUS.
As much as the Bible references the eyes as an accessory of evil, Jesus is seen giving sight- he offers a new way of seeing, one that is life changing. In Mark 8:25, Mark gives an account of Jesus healing a blind man. He says, “Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly”.
Jesus is the only one who can heal our eyes and allow us to view the world clearly! Once His word has infiltrated our hearts, instead of judging ourselves and others, we learn to celebrate those around us and our own self.
He gives us the eyes and hearts to know that we’re more than enough and allows us to leave the bitterness, judgement, and anxiety behind. Jesus gives us new eyes, a new way of looking at the beautiful person He’s made us to be.