Our Own Racetrack

Despite our geographical distance from one another, social media gives us a method to stay connected. But not all of social media’s effects on us are good. According to research, social media experience influences social comparisons. We often compare ourselves to others instinctively and believe they are better than us with just one swipe from our feeds. Social comparison has a detrimental effect on one’s mental and emotional well-being. And occasionally, we push ourselves to improve and succeed because we are envious of others on social media.

The author of Ecclesiastes concludes that a man who is envied by his neighbor for his labor and all of his skillful work is futile, like chasing the wind. We miss our own racetrack that leads to the place that God wants us to be because we are too distracted to look at others’ racetracks. Could it be that God wants to show us a beautiful road, but we are too preoccupied to notice it since we are looking at the one intended for others? Proverbs 14:30 tells us that a tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.