We all know how real the struggle of comparison is in our society today. With our lives constantly on display on social media, it is hard not to measure how well we are doing or how successful we are in comparison to other people. During this time where we all are simplifying, I hope that we can spend some time releasing the urge to compare ourselves to everyone else. I hope this can be a start.

Forgive us, Lord, for the time we have wasted,
trying to prove whatever it is we are trying to prove to one another.

Help us in this time of simplicity,
of cancelled plans,
less events,
quiet evenings spent at home,
to let go of comparing ourselves to everyone around us.

Whatever it is we are hoping to gain — likes, follows, admiration, status,
show us what matters more.

Remind us of our identity, given by You before we even walked this earth.
Speak over us our worth and value, not measured by You in comparison to anyone else.

Convict us of the illegitimate ways we seek attention,
and identify our legitimate needs hiding underneath.

May this time of quiet stillness create thin spaces for us to hear You more clearly.

The loud, thick distractions of our “normal” lives have been removed.
May we accept this as a gift, an opportunity to shed the facades we have worn to strive for our worth in this weary world.
May we see the stripping of our social calendars and the acoustic version of our lives as an opportunity to meet with You and remember who we are.

May today be a release of all that we need to unlearn.
Make us new, redeeming all the ways we have been broken and have broken each other.

Grant us permission to live fully and wholly as exactly who You made us to be.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2