“Avoid obsessing over material things, be satisfied with what you have.” ~ Hebrews 13:5
Jaelyn’s rainy Monday was shaping up
to be an awful day. Dragging herself back to work after a two-day recess always
felt like an imposition. Customers seemed more antagonistic, bosses more
demanding and coworkers more needy.
She was looking forward to
sharing lunch with her friends to commiserate. Except it seemed the other girls
missed the 'memo.' They organized lunch together and forgot to include Jaelyn.
It began with a pang of envy,
followed by anxiety, self-doubt, and a gnawing sense of inadequacy. After a
few minutes of pouting and sulking, Jaelyn decided it was probably
unintentional and she was being childish, but it still hurt a little.
She couldn’t help herself from
wishing she were doing that, living that life, flaunting that body, or having that
many friends. Jaelyn caught herself in an emotional spiral downward.
She got up from the table and decided to take a walk instead – alone with her thoughts. Soon the playful sounds of dancing drops pelted her umbrella as if their sole purpose was to bring serenity and peace to this day.
Walking among the rainfall offered time
for meditation, a way to become fully present in the moment, an opportunity for
the Holy Spirit to enter her consciousness.
By His grace:
“I know how you struggle when
you feel unwanted and unloved. I’ve been here too. Life has nothing to do with
your social status or achievements. I came, so you might believe. I created you
with infinite worth. I suffered and died so that no one should ever feel left
out again.”
She recalled the many
times she hunched over her phone in line at the grocery store or sitting in her
car checking TikTok. It was like she’d rather have something take up the space
in her mind than be alone with the quiet of her own thoughts anymore. In their
place, she distracted herself with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Holy Spirit
reminded her that she made those choices by immersing herself in social media
and missing the mood-boosting benefits that come from face-to-face interaction.
When you’re one-on-one, you can more accurately read body language, emotions,
and energy better, which means more empathy and less comparison.
It’s sometimes
painful to admit loneliness, but it might actually be an invitation for the
Holy Spirit to do His work within you! After all, the Holy Spirit calls us both
to action and stillness, fierce integrity and playful wonder. Grounded in the
full love of Christ.
Holy Spirit, help me stay grounded in my own
story and avoid falling into comparison and envy. Let me never forget how God
has been, and is currently at work, in my life at all times. Amen
