During my ministry travels, I have the privilege of meeting many women, and they often share their hearts and insecurities with me. So many of those insecurities are fed by the tendency to compare.
People have been measuring themselves against one another for approximately forever—sometimes with deadly consequences. Cain compared himself to Abel, with a jealous anger that ended in his brother’s murder (Gen. 4). Joseph’s brothers, moved by envy, sold him into slavery (Gen. 37). Jesus’ disciples bickered and compared themselves to one another on several occasions (Luke 9).
We have everything we need within us to overcome comparison. As Christians, we are given the invaluable gifts of the Holy Spirit within us, combined with the authority of the Scriptures that guide us toward right living.
Some important instructions are tucked into a letter that Paul wrote to the Galatians: “Pay careful attention to your own work . . . and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else” (Gal. 6:4). God has called us each to our own work—in the office, the gym, the home, everywhere. And Paul is telling us that when we keep our eyes on our own work—when we “pay careful attention” to it—we won’t need to compare anymore.
This is your one beautiful life. God has invited you into it. You are not called to live the life of Judy or Katie or Megan. You are called to live your own life. Comparison creates an us-versus-them mentality that can rob the body of Christ of its unity and fellowship. When we see envy rise up, dear Lord, help us tamp it back down. Friendship cannot grow in the soil of comparison.
Jennifer Dukes Lee is an author and a member of the (in)courage community. Excerpted from Craving Connection: 30 Challenges for Real-Life Engagement from the (in)courage community. Copyright 2017 B&H Publishing Group.
