Unstoppableनमुना

The Danger of Comparison

I can remember a time in my life when I caused myself unnecessary grief by comparing myself to someone else. There was one couple Rick and I would see every year when we traveled in the United States, and I would do exactly what I am about to tell you not to do whenever I’d visit this woman: I would compare myself to her.

During this season of my life, I did my best to take good care of our sons, support Rick, sing well, look my best, and be kind and gracious to the people we’d meet. But whenever we’d visit this couple, I would start comparing myself with the wife — and I’d always come up short. This woman homeschooled her children, made rugs, sewed, was athletic, and cooked all her family’s food. She even had a garden and grew some of their own food! In my mind, this wonderful lady was the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman.

Every time we’d meet with this couple, I would start mentally listing the ways I didn’t measure up. Then I would silently criticize myself because I wasn’t like this woman and I didn’t do all these fantastic things she did. My endless comparing myself with her stole my joy, stole my peace, and made it very difficult for me to relax and enjoy our visits with these wonderful friends. Yet there was no reason for me to feel this way, because this friend was always very kind to me.

I finally realized I was wasting my time and energy and failing miserably at trying to be like her. So many of the wonderful things she could do were simply out of my reach. So I determined to stop beating myself up, and I decided to be me.

God didn’t make me to be like her, and my habit of comparing myself with her was putting a negative light on all the good that I had to give.

That’s just what the devil wants, isn’t it? When we compare ourselves with others, we actually give place to the voice of the Accuser. It is as if we join hands with him and say in our soul, Okay, Satan, tell me more about how I don’t measure up.

But you are a joint (Ephesians 4:16), and you have a vital supply to give. Instead of listening to the enemy, you have to decide you’re not going to let the devil shut you up or stop you for anything. You’re going to keep going in life and stop getting “stuck” by comparing — because you’re unstoppable!

Journal Prompt

Comparison is a tactic the enemy uses to gain an inroad into your life. Write down three truths of who you are in Christ that you can remind yourself of any time Satan comes to lie to you about your value.

Memory Verse

From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. — Ephesians 4:16 (NKJV)