3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3 NIV)
I don’t know what it is about me, but I seem to have a genetic predisposition to focus on what I lack. When I was younger, in my mind, “they” were always smarter me, “they” were a better athlete than me, and “they” were more popular than I was in school. I was so tied up thinking about “them” and what they had that I was blinded to what God had done for me.
I wasn’t a follower of Jesus while I was going through Middle and High School, but I’ve since learned that this struggle is not confined to the teenage years or to those who are not followers of Jesus. As a follower of Jesus I can so easily lose sight of the multitude of blessings God has showered upon me. I can so easily lose sight of what God is doing in and through me. I can so easily lose sight of the truth that my identity and sufficiency is in Christ alone.
I have found no remedy, for my propensity to lose sight of these truths, like the Word of God. Paul’s word to the folks in Ephesus is a great example of this. Paul let them know, and he let’s me know, that I have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Standing among the mass of humanity it is more than obvious that I lack much, but “in Christ” I don’t lack one thing. My cup is full to overflowing.
My prayer today, Lord, is that You will keep me in Your Word so that I might avoid the trap of comparing myself to those around me.
