Hey E4M friends and family! Well, there is just no one out there who can put this crazy journey of weight loss in perspective like our girl Kellie can! She is brutally honest, saying all the things we want to say, but are too embarrassed to say them! And even if your struggle is not with weight, you should seriously read just for the humor! We are so blessed to share in her journey each week, and each week, we know countless others are being encouraged to step out and go on their very last weight loss journey too! Read on sweet friend, once again, Kellie has called out a killer, and this week, it’s The Killer Called Comparison!”

Confession time!

So, last week, I got super aggravated with the fact that I only lost 0.8 pounds after an AMAZING week of eating right and going to the gym FOUR TIMES that week. I know, I know. I should have been happier with my results. After all, wasn’t I the one who recently blogged about the fact that it’s not about the number, but the journey? Practice what you preach, sister, I silently, but sarcastically said to myself. I’m smart enough to know that one week of the gym isn’t going to result in a 5 pound weight loss, yet there I was, angry, irritated and frustrated that I didn’t!  I repeated ‘it’s still a loss’ and ‘at least you didn’t gain’ over and over until I thought I would scream. All that chanting and berating wasn’t making a difference in my thinking.

Not only that, I was pouring over my friends’ results (they know who they are – LOL)….I checked and rechecked their food diaries in My Fitness Pal, looked up their activities via my Apple Watch and started down the death row path known as COMPARSION. GAH!!! That has been the thorn in my flesh all of my life!! I can’t do anything without seeing what others are doing. It is an awful, shameful and downright ridiculous trait that the Holy Spirit has been trying to remove. I’m sure He’s exhausted going around this mountain time and time again. I’m so grateful and thankful that He is so incredibly patient with me every minute of every day.

After all of the mess above, I whined to Julie in a text. As expected, in came the Holy Spirit through her once again.  She immediately called out that we’ve been here before and called out satan and his favorite mind game with me. He uses comparison to bring division because he knows that chances are I will give up and quit (because I’ve done it a thousand times before). She lovingly reminded me that I was losing inches and it may not necessarily reflect on the scale just yet. Most importantly, she didn’t coddle me or my whining or my thinking. She called me out and then called the devil out. We need truth tellers in our lives. We need friends who will speak what is right and not say what feels good. Real friends won’t let you stay where you are. They will pick you up, brush you off and push you forward. Thanks Julie for the loving rebuke.

From experience, I can tell you that comparison is a cancer. It will cause nothing but distress, dissatisfaction and jealousy.  It compels us to turn inward, focus on ourselves and the things that we supposedly lack. It divides us, disillusions us and will destroy us if we continue in it. So what is the cure, you say? THANKFULNESS. It’s that simple. Thankfulness changes our focus from ourselves and turns it to the One who is faithful and generous. When you are tempted to compare yourself to someone else, do this instead: encourage them, celebrate their victory and thank God for what He did in them. You (and I) will find that every time we choose THANKFULNESS, we will compare ourselves less and less to others and live in victory.

Footnote: This blog has me more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! I pray that I’m not alone in this battle of comparison. (So wait, does this mean I’m comparing again??? LOL) Frankly, it’s scary to bare my soul every week in this blog. I pray that somehow, someone learns from my mistakes and doesn’t repeat them! I also pray that when someone reads my victories, that it encourages them to know if He did it for me, He will absolutely do it for them! God always deals with me first before He allows me to share it with you all. Boy, has He dealt with me this week. And…I’m THANKFUL for it!!!

Are you ready to end the cycle of comparison and RESTART living a life of thankfulness? Join me – E4M is what you need. Your journey to healthy living – physical, mental and spiritual – starts HERE!

XOXO Kellie