The weight from the loaded backpack I had been lugging around all day, along with my children’s heavy attitudes, started to weigh down my body and my heart.

Although we were on a family vacation at the happiest place on earth, we were all far from exuding happy moods. The words overheated, weary, and grumpy were better descriptions for my family of four. Needless to say, this was not how I was expecting our trip to go.

As I dropped the backpack onto a table to try to gather myself and come up with a game plan on how I was going to survive the rest of the day, my eyes naturally started to scan the other moms walking around me.

The enemy began playing the same old song of comparison in my ear.

Comparison is awful

Look at that mom and how much fun she is having with her kids. She is making it a trip they won’t forget. Your kids are miserable and so are you.

See that mom over there? She is fresh and energized. I bet she can handle any heat or issue that might pop up. You break easily. Why are you so weak?

Those younger kids are well behaved and happy. Remember when your kids were littler? You should have soaked those years in more. You missed so much.

At least you’re not as big of a mess as that mom. Look how hard she is struggling and her kids seem to be a mess too.

Comparison is a trap of the enemy

The comparison song has been playing in my life for as long as I can remember. All the ways I feel like I am not measuring up can drag my heart deep into the dark hole of hopelessness. A place that is hard for me to rebound from. Right where the enemy wants me.

So when the weight of motherhood starts to bear down, the enemy likes to drop me to my knees by comparing myself to other moms. But this time when I hit my knees, God prompted me to pray; lighting my way out of the dark hole I usually let myself get stuck in and He was there leading the way out.

Using prayer to break those chains

Ephesians 6:18 reminds us to be alert, praying in the Spirit on all occasions for all the Lord’’s people. And that is exactly what I did.

Every mom the enemy wanted me to judge and compare myself up against, I lifted them in prayer.

Instead of letting the enemy break me, I let God meet me and we prayed for the moms passing by where I stood. We prayed for the ones who waited in line in front of me and behind me. We prayed for the ones who looked like their life was perfect and for the ones who were outwardly struggling.

I didn’t know the names of these moms, where they were from, or even an inkling of what their needs were, but I knew God did and so I prayed. I turned my mind off of myself and onto these strangers.

It worked!

By turning to prayer instead of defeat, it not only started doing a good work in my own heart but God worked in the needs of others as well. Knowing this encouraged me regardless of the heaviness my trip was feeling at the moment. Joy began to overflow. If I would have let the enemy pull my worth down into the dark hole, I would have missed a beautiful opportunity to pray for others and to be present with my family.

Friends, we know the enemy will use the same game of comparison over and over again. In those moments when he tries to get a foothold on your heart by bringing you down with his usual antics, hit him back with prayer. Let’s be on the offense and pray for those he is trying to use against us. When we can drown out the enemy with prayer, we can change our perspective and open up our hearts to allow God’s truths to penetrate the lies. The next time he attempts to lure you with comparison, stop the enemy in his tracks with prayer.

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.”1 Timothy 2:1, NLT