We are all guilty of it. Whether you're a guy, a girl, a college student, a high-schooler, or an adult, we do it.

Comparison is the thief of joy. At some point in our lives, we've all gone through the struggles of seeing someone on TV and wishing we could look like them, or wishing we could be as talented as a popular athlete, or as smart as someone at our school. Yes, we all do it, and we will all continue to do it naturally. But comparison is something that robs our joy from us, because we get stuck in a position where we tell ourselves that what we are doing is not good enough and that we should be more like someone else.

But why do we tell ourselves this? Why do we go through the pain and doubt that comparison makes us go through?

Comparison is evil. It tears us down because we aren't satisfied with our own image, or our own personality. It changes who we are as we try to form ourselves to be someone we're not, just so we can be like someone or something else. We think if we mimic what someone else is doing, that we will become the way we want to be. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make better grades, get in better shape, or eat healthier. If you want any of those things, work towards them. But don't work towards them because you want to be like someone else, work towards them for YOU.

So what's the point? We should stop comparing ourselves to others, because each of us as an individual was made in the image of a perfect God. He created each of us with a purpose in mind. Comparing ourselves to others is nothing but a waste of time. We each have something special about us that God blessed us with. That purpose is yours, and no one can take it away from you. God made us the way we are for a reason. We may not know our purpose now, but that's why we seek God and trust in His plan, so we can unravel His plan for us, and in turn, find our purpose through Him. It's up to us to decide if we are going to love ourselves the way God made us and intended us to be, or continue to compare ourselves to others and try to become someone we're not and leave our special purpose unused.

Don't live day to day wishing you could change the way you are. We are all special in our own way. Just as you wake up every morning and make the conscious decision to have a good day, wake up and tell yourself that you are wonderfully made for a reason.