Recently, my friend shared that he doubted if he would still be a Christian if it weren’t for the friends who were there for him in 2018. That was the year he had lost a very dear cousin to sickness. And then, barely two months later, the rest of his cousin’s family members died in a tragic road accident. My friend was devastated, and struggled to understand why God allowed for it to happen.

My heart trembled as I scanned through the email. My worst fear had come to pass. My application to join an international arts group wasn’t accepted. Coupled with a slew of other job rejections I had received over the last 10 months, this was the last thing I needed.

A few years ago, I was introduced to another kind of comparison, one that wasn’t the least beneficial. I had graduated but my career had yet to take off. I was far from achieving the accomplishments I’d set for myself. As I grew increasingly frustrated at the uncertainty of my future, I started to compare my situation to peers who seemingly had it all together. When was God going to answer my prayers for a job and alleviate my disappointment in myself?