Never, ever, compare yourself to others

I Corinthians 12:6 (NCV)

And there are different ways that God works through people but the same God. God works in all of us in everything we do. 

The Scripture states that God works in different ways through different people.  OK, you can see that by simple observation that others are different from you and you are different in many ways from others.  Perhaps a more important truth, one that is no so obvious, yet one that needs to be understood and appreciated is that God is responsible for the differences that exist among people.  It is the same God who empowers each of His believers (by the way, Paul is speaking to believers, not the world of unbelievers) to have different gifts and capabilities.  No gift or capability is superior to another.  The person who can speak well and pray magnificent prayers is not superior to the person who cannot speak or pray well at all.  

Because there are different ways that God works through people, we should never, ever compare ourselves with others.  You can easily get caught up in the competitive world of business, sports, and other endeavors, start comparing yourself to others ugly things typically happen.  Comparison to others leads to a variety of emotions, from smugness and arrogant pride to jealousy, envy, and/or depression.  Whatever the result, comparing yourself to others is absolutely wrong.  You always lose when you do this.  If you constantly focus your life on comparing yourself to others, you will always find somebody better and somebody worse.  Someone once said that the main reason we compare ourselves with others is to find approval.  When you do this, you are always allowing others to control your life. 

Parents, teachers, coaches, and, especially business world people managers/executives compare people all the time.  “Do what sister Mary does”.  “Why can’t you be like Bobby?”  “Your brother would never do that”.   Your overall rating was less than Ed’s.  When you hear these kinds of comparisons as a child, they never leave you.  When you hear these comparisons as an adult, it can be very demoralizing (or generate excess pride).  Then think about this ……..what does advertising do…….ads for weight loss, building muscles, new clothes, new cars, etc---they are forcing you to compare yourself and your situation with others.  The world value system at its finest and it’s unbiblical.

The Bible is clear that you are never compare yourself to others.  Read Gal 6:4---“Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done, and won't need to compare himself with someone else.” (LB).  And think about Romans 12:6: “Let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.”. (The Message)

May you realize from this time forward that you are who God created you to be and you are not to be someone else.  You have gifts that God gave to you and you are to use those gifts to please Him, not worrying about pleasing anyone else.

“If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise”---von Goethe