The Struggle of Comparison
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“I will not compare. I will not compare. I will not compare.”
That may or may not have been a conversation that I just had with myself. Oh, about 5 minutes ago. I was browsing some websites and clicked on their PR/Sponsorship tab. Their page views numbers blew me away. Then I started thinking about my blog and my page views.
That’s when I started hearing that little voice. You know which one I’m talking about.
The one that whispers, “You’ll never be that good.”
“All this hard work is for nothing.”
“You’ll never measure up.”
“You should just stop while you’re ahead.”
“Did you see her page views? Those make yours laughable.”
“You are worthless.”
Have you ever struggled with comparison? Have you ever heard that voice?
Maybe you struggle with comparing yourself to other moms at preschool or at church. Maybe you struggle with comparing your house to pictures of houses on Pinterest or in the latest magazine {people still read those, right?}. Maybe you just struggle with comparing your life now with what you thought it would be.
Galatians 6:4-5 {the Message} tells us, “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
While I want to say, “Um, yeah. That is so much easier said than done.” It is imperative that I do exactly what those verses say. If I compare my life to others, I will be miserable. My family will be miserable. I will not be living my life for Jesus. Instead, I need to be live my life faithfully. I need to be obedient to what He asks me to do and say {and write}.
Pauls tells us, “In all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.” {2 Corinthians 10:12b Msg}.
God created us to worship and glorify Him. That is our purpose. If our lives are a fragrant offering of worship to Him, then that is enough. If our lives are characterized by discontentment and everyday we are wishing our lives were something more than they are, then we think we know better than God and His sovereignty. And that, dear friend, is a dangerous place to be.
So when we find ourselves playing the comparison game, let us take those thoughts captive {2 Corinthians 10:5} and jot down three things we are grateful for. Instead of a heart of jealousy, let’s cultivate a heart of gratitude and thankfulness.
Even better than that, let’s start a gratitude journal. Each day write down three things you are thankful for. Not a writer? Then take a picture of three things you are thankful for. More spontaneous? Grab a glass jar and each day find random pieces of paper to write down 3 things you are thankful for.
Remember that God has a specific plan for your life. He put you where you are for a purpose. Let us be content in our circumstances, and give God the glory. Our worth is to be found in Christ and in Him alone. Not in numbers. Not in popularity. Not in how we dress. Not in our worldly success. But in Him {Ephesians 1:11-14}.
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work. – Colossians 3:15-17; 22-25
Love this Whitney. I think we are thinking similarly this week. 🙂 I hear those same doubts and lies trying to vie for my surrender to all things writing. I believe this is the time to write, after wanting to for so many years and letting it go. Yet, I constantly fight words like, “Why do you keep trying to write?” “No one really cares what you have to say” “Your words don’t really matter, they are too bland and boring.” Then I feel like God keeps telling me to JUST WRITE. Whether its a mish mash of thoughts that aren’t coming together, or journaling, or taking notes from sermons & books, whatever. Write, write, write and don’t concern yourself with the details. Blessed to be meeting you in this online world. So Whitney – Keep listening to His voice and keep on writing as He leads!
Thank you, sweet friend! Writing while walking through the journey of life is hard. But that’s where some of our best writing comes from. It is at least encouraging to know that we aren’t alone on this journey. Let’s just keep on writing and write brave :). Even when it’s hard!
Oh sister. I hear you. I understand you and I appreciate this post. It’s so important that we don’t listen to the enemy who clouds our head with thoughts of inadequacy!
Amen. Some days are easier to shut out that voice than others. But in our weakness, He is strong. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. There is beauty in the mess ;).