Sarah Bross, Founder of Sarah’s Love List, in Long Island, New York
Have you ever struggled with comparison?
I know I have.
In fact it was once such an issue that God lead me to start The Yay Project (with Yay standing for ‘You are you’), to share what he was teaching me about God-given identity but also, I believe, because he knew I’d benefit from the almost daily reminders myself ;)
Social media and lifestyle blogging can sometimes exacerbate the situation, so I’m so thankful to be able to read Sarah Kate’s reflections on comparison from the perspective of a Christian lifestyle blogger and creator. Her IG accounts and blog are beautiful but I think her heart for Jesus is even more beautiful, as is her obedience to move as God leads (read on!). Excited to see how God moves in Sarah's life as well as the whole lifestyle blogging industry.
Saying a prayer for all of us - whether we’re lifestyle bloggers or readers, may we create / consume content that helps us become more deeply rooted in our Lord. 🌱
Name: Sarah Bross
Location: Long Island, New York
Age: 25
Welcome! Please could you tell us about yourself and @sarahkbross & @create.sarah.kate?
Hi! My name is Sarah Bross, and I run a little blog and Etsy shop with the main purpose of bringing a little brightness, color and joy to your day, while sharing the gospel, encouragement, and my daily life and style! I believe that because of God’s grace every day is a gift, and something to be celebrated! I want girls who read my blog to be uplifted, filled with joy, and ready to celebrate the life God has given them!
I am a HUGE fan of celebrating the little things. They say time is measured in minutes, but life is measured in moments. It’s in the belly laughing with my best friends, the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cones, the moments spent riding bikes with my husband or holding hands together in prayer. THOSE are the moments that matter most to me, and THOSE are the things I have a passion for reminding others to celebrate as well!
Have you ever struggled with identity? How did God lead you to his truth?
Only every day of my life! Oh man. Coming into high school I remember I had such a longing to be one of the cool, popular girls. Every day was a new day to convince everyone I was good enough. I got straight A’s, taught myself how to play soccer (because all of the cool girls played soccer, I thought), I googled youtube videos on how to apply makeup. Luckily, I grew a lot as a person through all of those things, so I don’t regret making those decisions, but I do know that high school Sarah was motivated by one thing: the approval of other people.
Now that I am married and have a blog, things look a lot different than they did in high school, but that same temptation to compare myself and wonder how I measure up is still there. I struggle with wondering why someone else’s blog is growing faster than mine, or comparing how my life measures up to someone else’s highlight reel, and have even struggled with an eating disorder trying to chase the level of perfection I think the world wants from me.
If there’s anything I have learned, it’s this: Comparison is the thief of joy.
You want to LOVE the life that God has given you, to be filled with joy and purpose every day? Be present in those moments worth celebrating and turn the focus from yourself to other people.
When my mind falls into comparison, my day spirals into discontentment, frustration and bitterness. When I accept that my identity is in CHRIST and his opinion is the only one that matters, I am finally freed to live joyfully, celebrate the little moments and love on other people well. Those days, I feel joyful, content, purposeful, and so ready to see what new people to love and things to celebrate God is going to bring in to my life next!
What does celebrating your God-given design mean to you?
I LOVE this question! It means being creative!! The VERY first thing we learn about God in Genesis is that He is creative. He created the whole Earth and called it good! Before we know that he is loving, patient, and just we find out that God loves to create. Well, I have to attribute the fact that I love to doodle and create to the fact that I am made in the image of God, and since He loves to create, so do I! If I had to choose a part of my business I love most, it is definitely the hours I just get to play worship music and work on new doodles for @create.sarah.kate. I really feel like God is calling me to a bigger purpose through that platform specifically, and I love being able to bring joy to people’s day through my art.
What has God shown you about your God-given design through @sarahkbross & @create.sarah.kate?
Aside from my love of creativity, I have really had to learn the lesson of embracing the season I am in, and not comparing my life to someone else’s. This was REALLY hard for me when I first started my blog. I thought that to be successful I needed to post every day and have brand new clothes on in each photo. I felt an enormous pressure to be on social media all of the time (living in the moment and taking time off of social is so important!), and I fell into materialism and discontentment as I worked so hard and didn’t see my blog grow in the way that I hoped it would.
I remember I bought a pair of boots one fall because I seriously thought I “had to have them” in order to be a real blogger. I felt stressed because I didn’t feel like I had the money really and ended up returning them. After that, I came across the verse in Luke where Jesus reminds us, “Life is not found in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15) It really hit home at that moment. Life isn’t found in an abundance of possessions, in the constant chase for more that our culture embraces. We are called to live joyfully and purposefully in the pursuit of our Savior, and to look more like him every day. Loving people better, learning more about our God, and serving others. At the end of the day, that is what our lives are really about! Life isn’t about how many likes you get, it’s about how much love you show.
How would you encourage someone who is struggling to embrace their God-given design and live out their God-given calling?
You can spend years of your life trying to be the “best.” Competing with others in every single category. When you get more successful? You will feel happy until you meet someone who is more successful than you. You will continually battle discontentment until you finally decide that Christ is all that you need. If you don’t believe me, try it! Go after everything you have ever wanted. Earn as much money as you can, achieve a goal, and then another. Achieve, rush, post, succeed, conquer, and do it all over again. Wait until you reach the top. When you’ve got it “made.” Your longing for more will never stop. You won’t feel fulfilment, and you will wonder why.
Because you were created for eternity, not for this world, nothing here on earth will ever satisfy the longing and emptiness you feel in your heart apart from Christ. So what do we do while we are on earth to find fulfilment here? We focus on the plan God has for OUR lives, and on living purposefully for him TODAY.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10.
I don’t want my life to be about me. I want my life to be about something bigger than me. God has a unique plan set up and when each of us does our part and surrenders to God’s call on our lives, we are able to be a part of His perfect plan, and not get caught up in worrying about our own selfish plan.
The other good news? When you embrace the life GOD has called you to lead, you won’t be so susceptible to comparing your calling to someone else’s calling. You will celebrate that they have their thing that God has gifted them to be great at, while also acknowledging that you have YOUR thing that God has called you to be great at! No one else has your unique gifts, your personality, your calling from God. It is YOURS. Embrace it, fall in love with it, run toward it! Nothing in this world can replace the purpose, joy, contentment and closeness to our Savior that you will gain!
Thank you so much for sharing your testimony, Sarah. Are you open to receiving any follow-up questions? How can we contact you?
Absolutely! I am usually hanging out on Instagram, and I can also be reached by email at sarahslovelist@gmail.com!
