As women in our 20’s and 30’s, we have a lot going on! We have new careers and (maybe new-ish) husbands. We have friends and family. We have houses (or apartments) to take care of. We might have little babies or little toddlers or little kids that need some attention too. There’s a lot of responsibility weighing on our shoulders. And we are so grateful for it! Because along with that responsibility comes love and fulfillment. There is nothing quite like waking up everyday and knowing that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. There is nothing better than being married to your best friend. There is nothing better than the excitement of all the new things that are happening at this stage in life.
But what if you wake up everyday and hit the snooze 5 times because the thought of going to that job again is almost painful. Or let’s say you have your dream job, but not your dream marriage. Everyone tells you that every marriage has ups and downs, but you’re still waiting for the “up” part to come around again. Or maybe you are in that season of life where you haven’t had an adult conversation in weeks and you just realized that you have the “mommy-uniform” down- yoga pants, a t-shirt and a ponytail.
As women we are prone to comparison. To the single woman who is dying for a date, the problems of the unhappily married woman don’t seem that bad. To the woman who just found out that getting pregnant is going to take some intervention, the problems of the mother-of-three are problems that are soooo wanted. Then there is the woman who goes to work everyday and makes a great living doing something she hates and yet is envious of the woman who struggles to get by but is so fulfilled and full of joy. It’s the whole, ‘The grass is always greener on the other side.” We need to be careful with comparison.
Comparison is the thief of joy. -Theodore Roosevelt
What is one way to get our JOY back? No, not a trip to Target or a dozen chocolate chunk cookies or a mani/pedi. Prayer. Prayer is like a combination of a good yoga class, a meeting with a psychologist and a pep talk with someone you love. It can leave you feeling refreshed and revitalized. It can leave you with a renewed sense of hope. It can lift that weight off your chest. It can allow you to shed tears without judgment. It will always leave you feeling loved even if your questions are still unanswered.
Starting today, let’s make it a priority to go to God in prayer for all of the really big things we are dealing with- careers, marriages, kids, finances, health. And all of the really little things we are dealing with too- for patience when there doesn’t seem to be one parking spot available, for perspective when we start to forget what this whole life thing is about, for kindness when our husbands don’t load the dishwasher the “correct” way.
Starting today, let’s also make it a priority that during our prayers we not only unload our worries, frustration, anger and fear, but also our gratitude. Let us thank God for our lives and everything wonderful and magical about these lives that we are blessed to be living.
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