The Nocuous Effects of Comparison

Something I’ve struggled with all my life (and something I still struggle with), is comparison. My body vs her body. My clothing style vs her clothing style. The food I’m eating vs the food he’s eating. The quality of my history presentation vs the quality of his. How artsy my Instagram feed is vs how artsy hers is. My walk with Christ vs her walk with Christ. You get the picture. Comparison finds a way to seep into every aspect of my life. 

When we compare however, someone always loses. It’s been said that “comparison is the thief of joy,” and whether you win or lose the comparison game, that phrase still rings true. If you lose (by deciding that he/she is better than you), you’re putting yourself down and opening up a door for lies to come. Whether it’s “I’m not smart enough” or “I’m not pretty enough”; Whatever “not ____ enough" it is, you’re giving into the voice of shame. But even if you win the battle however, you’re getting your worth from tearing someone else down, ultimately from pride. To keep getting that worth, you’re going to have to keep being better than that person. And that so quickly makes one exhausted. 

Comparison keeps us from being our raw selves. We miss out on being who God created us to be, we miss out on following the path God has for us, because we’re so busy looking to our left and our right. We pull a little bit of identity from this person and that person...and we miss out on the truth. God made YOU uniquely. You play a role in the Body of Christ that no one else can fill. And if you don’t show up to play that role, the body can’t function at it’s ultimate capacity. You will be missed. If we spend time looking, comparing, and “shopping” for our identity from others, we’ll miss what God has for us. 

This truth became tangible and real to me at my church huddle earlier this week. We all went around and described how we viewed God. What struck me hard, was how different and unique every person’s response was. The answer each person gave, couldn’t have been more perfect when it came to their personality. As soon as each person gave their answer, I immediately realized how beautifully it fit them. At that moment, it clicked for me. I didn’t want to see God the way she sees God, although it’s beautiful. I want to view God the way I view God, because that’s how He made me. And it’s equally beautiful. 

So let’s stop making everything into a competition for worth. If we keep moving forward in hope and trust, we’ll find that we won’t miss it. God will lead us down paths we never knew existed, and we’ll think it more glorious than anything we could have ever dreamed up by ourselves.