"Stop Comparing"

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

 

As humans we tend to compare ourselves with each other. But sadly, when we do, we use that comparison as an indication of our self-worth. We then try to identify who we are by comparing ourselves with someone else. Also when we compare ourselves with others it will usually cause us to give up and not press on and be who God designed us to be or receive from Him what He wants to give us. 

 

In school if we compare ourselves with a student who makes better grades than we do, we will label ourselves as stupid or ignorant. As a result we won't even try to make better grades. If we don't have the enthusiasm about the things of Christ that we see in a fellow Christian, we start thinking that something is wrong with us. We wonder if we are even saved. When we are sick and compare ourselves to someone else who is worse off than we are, we become content to stay in that sickness because, after all, it isn't that bad in comparison. So we won't even seek God for a healing. When you are going through a time of grief and aren't living with your head in a Kleenex box, but others who are going through the same thing are, you begin to wonder if you're a caring, loving or compassionate person. When you are going through a trial and are not handling it as well as you see someone else handle it, you start to wonder if you even have any faith. 

 

Does any of this sound familiar? Don't we do this? We look at the things others are going through, the way others are handling things, the responses and reactions they have to life's issues and we either give up because we can't ever be like that/them or we think something is wrong with us. 

 

I have a word for you this morning-- stop comparing yourselves to others. When Jesus told Peter what would happen to him later in life, Peter immediately asked what about John, what would happen to him. Jesus told him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:22-NAS) The key point that Jesus was giving Peter-- and us-- was don't compare what I am doing in your life with what I am doing in someone else's life. You just follow me. 

 

God didn't make you like everyone else. He made you you! We each one work out our own salvation. We each one go through things according to who we are, not who someone else is. If there is any comparison to do, then it is with Christ. We are to compare our lives with His life and that is the only one it has to measure up to.

 

Have a great day. Stop comparing yourself to others or you will miss out on who God wants you to be and what God wants to do in your life. 

 

For further reading:

John 21:20-23

Philippians 2:12

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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