A long time ago, I was in Sunday School at church, and I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about, but I do remember a comment that was made. I think about it every now and then.

A wealthy man in the room said that instead of being resentful, we should celebrate the accomplishments of those who are blessed with more. Immediately, I looked around the room and noticed all of those that were living in a much smaller house than this man. Those who struggled to have food on the table and heat for their homes.

I was waiting for the hurt feelings and the resentful remarks that were sure to come. You know what? They never came. This man, who worked very hard in his life to receive the great blessings that he had was respected enough to be able to say those comments and not be immediately chastised for them.

I’ve pondered over this a lot over the years. I am still astounded that there was not an immediate uproar over his remarks. We live in a world where comparison is as normal as needing to eat to live. It is not a necessary part of life by any means, yet we do it as if it should be.

Comparing ourselves to others will never serve us. Someone else will always have more, always be more than we feel that we have or that we are. Stop. Don’t waste your energy. Focus on your blessings. Focus on what you can do better. Use that same energy to become what you want to become.

Sure, there are absolutely things that should be compared. Darkness from light. It is important to notice and understand the differences between them. Knowing and comparing these things helps us to desire one over the other. Realizing how good we feel when we are in the light and how dismal everything feels in the dark. Light helps us to move forward. When it is dark, not much progress is made.

As I’ve pondered on this man’s comments from years ago, I realized one very important thing. He paid tithing to the church from his financial blessings. That tithing then went on to help put food on the table and heat in those same homes of those that needed help. He used his blessings to serve those in need. He never received nor asked for thanks for blessing others. He paid his tithing knowing that he should and trusting that God would use it to help those that needed it.

When my husband lost his job and I was pregnant, we didn’t know how we were going to be able to afford to keep our house payments up let alone put food on the table. We met with the bishop of our church to discuss getting assistance from the church. We were told that we needed to ask for help from family first.

I was so confused. Isn’t that why we pay tithing? To help those in need. It was hard to admit to this man that we were in trouble financially. We did not expect this response. I could tell that it was hard for him to tell this to us. We could have been angry. Instead, God humbled us. We went to our family and asked if and how they could help us.

They were so glad that we did. They offered the amount that we needed to make ends meet and a little more just in case. At the same time, we dropped all of the things that we did not need. We canceled our satellite tv service, and several other things that were just not essential.

This was a great time of growth for us. It gave us a testimony of tithing. We didn’t need to use the services put into place from the church because we had people that could help support us. The services that the church has are for those that have absolutely no help or way of getting by on their own.

Instead of being angry and frustrated at not getting the help I expected, I am grateful to have a greater understanding of this blessing. To see that no matter how scared we were of our uncertain future, there are others out there who are in a much more difficult circumstance.

That is when I compare in a productive manner. To have the realization that even though I feel as if my struggles are impossible, there is someone else out there in a much bigger struggle. It makes me want to pray for them. It makes me more excited to pay the tithes and offerings each month to help them.

I began to understand that these people have huge faith. They have great humility. They continue forward each day. I want to be more like them. I want to help them get their blessings from God. He needs me to help.

There were times when the money in our bank account was not enough to cover our expenses. We still paid our tithing. You know what? Somehow, there was always money left over. I have no idea how to explain it.

God will provide a way. He knows everything. He will get you what you need. Trust in Him. Pray to Him. He has a plan. I know this because I have lived it over and over. Be patient, be still. He will tell you when to act. Read your scriptures. Say your prayers. Connect with Him. The blessings are coming.

Don’t forget to count the blessings that you already have. It is important to remember them. They will help you to have faith in Him while you wait for the next blessings to come. If they aren’t coming as quickly as you would like, as yourself: What is He preparing me for?