Keeping Up With The Joneses

Looking back, I can remember the moment it happened. It was when my husband scratched and tore the linoliumn by our front door when removing our old refrigerator. I remember thinking that I would throw a rug over the scratch and that would be that. But he knelt down to further examine the scratch, he picked at it and started pulling and ripping big strips of it up! I was shocked. I kept telling him to stop, but he kept on. It revealed there was minor water damage underneath and the linoleum job wasn’t done right anyhow. “We’ll get ceramic tile put down here,” He said.

From that moment on, I started to look around our home. The floors needed done. But the walls have to be done before the floors. And look at that light fixture in the kitchen. Must be as old as I am. I remember, walking into other homes, looking around (I’m nosey by nature) comparing what they have done to what we have done. I would always leave their homes feeling inadequate or above, depending on how I was able to compare the two.

Isn’t that what they mean when they say keeping up with the joneses? Comparison. We are so good at it. All of us. We’ve all done it. If not with material things, then with other’s spouse or marriages. Or have you ever compared your children? Comparing can get us into alot of trouble, like with me and my house problem. I was able to completely stress my husband out with an out of the blue to-do list.

I think this comparing that crept up on me a year ago, is a spirit of envy. A way for the deceiver of this world to keep us looking horizontally instead of vertically. The Lord isn’t up there wondering why I didn’t buy name brand shoes, or why my kitchen floor is way outdated. He’s looking at me, cheering me on, speaking gently at times, reminding me to be the me I can be by my worship, prayer and praise.

So when you pull up to the stoplight today and you see someone driving your dream car (we all have one) just remember; it’s not what you drive, have or buy today that matters. It’s who we are and what we do for our Lord that’s going to count on the day of judgement.

 

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