How to Have a Bad Day Step 3: Compare. Everything.

Nothing crushes joy faster than comparing your blooper reel to someone else's highlight reel. So let’s do this right:

Scroll Instagram until you’re convinced:

• Your kitchen tile is a moral failure.

• Their toddler reads Latin. Yours flushed a banana down the toilet. Twice.

• Their spouse bought them roses. Yours brought home gas station beef jerky and said, “Thought of you.”

• Their laundry room could host a TED Talk. Yours smells like regret and mildew.

• They meal prep quinoa bowls. You just re-microwaved coffee for the third time.

• Their family looks like a J. Crew ad. Yours looks like an outtake from a sitcom about consequences.

• They’re “so honored” to speak at a conference. You just fought with a sock while trying to get dressed.

• Their house has a dedicated smoothie station. You consider ketchup a vegetable.

• Their kid builds robots. Yours duct-taped the cat to a skateboard.

• They casually reference their “European sabbatical.” You haven’t left your town since the Great Costco Trip of 2022.

• Their marriage looks like a rom-com. Yours feels like a group project where only one person’s trying.

• They “ran 5k before sunrise.” You ran to catch the bus with a Pop-Tart in your mouth.

• They “just bought land.” You just bought clearance granola and are hoping it lasts till payday.

• They greet the day with cold plunges and journaling. You greet the day by yelling, "Why is it so bright?"

Bonus Round: Resent the exact blessings you used to pray for — because someone else’s are shinier now.

You compare your marriage, your job, your hobbies, your dog, your eyebrows — and pretend it’s all in the name of “self-improvement.” (It’s not. It’s motivational self-loathing. Stop it!!)

What Jesus Has to Say About It:

"What is that to you? You follow Me." John 21:22

→ Translation: “Mind your business.”

"Those who compare themselves among themselves… lack understanding." 2 Corinthians 10:12

→ Translation: If you're stuck in the comparison trap, you're not being deep — you're being dense.

Oh, and Remember:

"Do not covet."? Yeah, still one of the Ten Commandments. Not a suggestion.

And just so we're all on the same page, here's the definition of "covet":

To yearn to possess or desire eagerly something—especially something that belongs to someone else.

To covet means to wrongfully desire what is not yours—whether possessions, relationships, or status—often with a sense of envy or greed.

It’s not just about wanting—it’s about resentful or obsessive desire that leads to discontent, comparison, and even sin.

I know. OUCH! I'm feeling it too. Coveting is the life blood of Social Media and Advertising. We are bombarded 24/7 with bigger, better, brighter, faster.....

"You don’t have enough. But don’t worry—we’re here to fix that."

Bigger house. Better body. Faster Wi-Fi. Brighter teeth. More aesthetic toddler.

We are baptized daily in envy and greed.

One way, I believe, to keep this grotesque attitude at bay is to exercise gratitude (but we'll save that one for another day!)

Even without the temptation of a new phone every year, coveting in the 1st century was still a problem as well. It's an age old trap. Jesus' warned His followers:

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

He also tells a story about a guy who has so much stuff, he tears down his barns to build bigger ones and says, “I’ll take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.” Then God shows up like: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.” And all his stuff? Left behind.

Bottom Line:

Jesus never said, “Admire what others have so you can hate your life a little.”

He understood comparison was a trap—and He warned us to guard against it.

To guard yourself means more than just avoiding obvious danger. It means staying aware. Paying attention to what’s pulling at your heart. It’s recognizing when envy, discontent, or insecurity start creeping in—and choosing to respond instead of passively absorbing it.

Guarding yourself is active, not passive. It’s catching the scroll before it spirals. It’s noticing the twinge of jealousy and asking, “Why am I feeling this?” It’s refusing to let someone else’s stuff become your measuring stick for contentment.

Jesus doesn’t say “try not to compare.” He says guard your heart and beware of all kinds of greed —because these things sneak in subtly, and they steal your peace quietly.

Guarding yourself means you’re awake. So stay vigilant as you scroll and have a great day!