Comparison.
It can be hard not to compare ourselves with those around us. Particularly in
our current culture. We have our little circle that encompasses where we live
and that affects us. But there is also… The internet.
We have 24
hour access to what everyone else is doing, pinning,
liking, and tweeting. Life can
look beyond perfect in social media land. I probably don’t have to tell you about all of the
ways ‘internet life’ can make us feel like we are failing at our own lives.
Don’t get me wrong, there are very, very good things on the internet! After all, THIS
blog from the Bloom Ministry is here on the internet, lol!
Social
media can be a great platform for encouraging people and spurring them on
toward Christ. You can also keep in touch with friends and family who don’t
live close. But even with all of the good things, it is really easy to begin
comparing our lives with our 1,000 plus Facebook friends, before we even
realize what we are doing. I think it happens little by little. A thought here,
a thought there. Then, by the end of the week or even the end of the day, we are
feeling like we are less then. We get those pesky feelings of not
being enough and just
filled with “icky”.
Do you feel
it sometimes too? Can you identify with this comparison trap we fall into? It
doesn’t just happen in internet life. It can happen at the grocery store,
sitting at dance classes, having coffee with a friend, or entering a church building.
The comparison trap is one so many of us get tangled up
in. It is easy to think you should be doing things like
everyone else. But you know what? That is a recipe for stress, shame and guilt. Things that are not of God.
Have you been beating yourself up because your kiddo's birthday is right around the corner and elaborately themed parties just
aren’t your thing? People are expecting a party and it just has
to measure up to little Janie’s party that you went to last month. But you’ve
been scouring Pinterest and are beginning to feel inadequate, like you are a
terrible mom? Or perhaps you love cutting kiwi and bananas into palm trees
for a fun snack for your littles, but your friends don’t seem to bother with
all that fuss for their families. (Side note: My birthday is in August and you can
invite me over for lunch anytime!) Or
what if your friend of a friend of a Facebook friend just posted
awesome beach vacation pictures and you are sitting on your porch scrolling
through them while on your “staycation”? Are you suddenly comparing her life,
talents, etc. with yours? When the comparison trap is bringing you down, what
can you do? Do what God
has called only you to do!
I give
these things as an example because God laid this verse on my heart and I just
keep coming back to it. Galatians 6:4-5 says this in The Message version, “Make 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.” Isn’t that good news?! Read it again!
God has
given us all individual talents and gifts. I must say, if we are always
concerned about what everyone else is doing, we can’t throw ourselves into what
God has given us. Comparison can keep gaze shifting from the
right and to the left instead of being fixed ahead, straight upon Jesus.
Ephesians
4:11-12, says it nicely, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ...”
When we
throw ourselves into the work God Himself has called us to then we can actually
help each other better! Galatians 6 (NKJV) starts out with Paul telling the
church to carry one another’s burdens. He makes a distinction between the word “burden” in verse two and the word “load” in verse five. The word load indicates a job that one
would be expected to have the ability
to handle. It’s “doable”! The word
burden indicates a job that is too heavy
to carry. If we are carrying our own load, throwing ourselves into the work
God has given us, then when our brother or sister finds themselves with a
burden too heavy to bear on their own, we are able to come alongside
them and love them through it. If we are trying to be like everyone else,
carrying a load that is not our own, carrying a load on
top of our own, or carrying someone else’s load all together, things
start to crumble. The need to perform or meet a standard that has not been set
by God, becomes burdensome and we can falter.
It is
important also to “make careful exploration of who you are”. The way we do this is by seeking God and asking Him
who He made us to be. This is the first step into walking out your identity in
Christ Jesus! We can ask Him what He has called us to. And sometimes,
our work can
change too, depending on the season we are in. We must ask this question
of Him often! When we know who we are, and what God has called us to, then we
can walk that out in confidence. We don’t have to compare ourselves with the
woman next to us, because we know the work we have been called to. But, if the
woman next to us needs us to help her carry a burden, then we can do that! “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch
yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
Paul also
gives the church important instructions in the chapter preceding this,
Galatians 5:16-26, shows us how to walk in the Spirit. By following this
lifestyle, we are equipped to bear and share one another’s burden without
comparison and without a negatively critical eye. When we get caught up in the
comparison trap, we can bring everybody down. But, when we walk in the Spirit
we are able to encourage everyone!
What are
some things God has called you to? If you are called into leadership, God has
placed you where you are for a reason. If you are a teacher, God gave you a
passionate heart to help people grow. Whatever God has called you to, He has
already equipped you with what you need. Maybe God is calling you into a new season? Have you asked Him
where it is He wants you to be? Listen to His voice and walk in that calling.
We are all encouraged when one walks out their true identity in Christ! The
Lord will guide and
direct you where He wants you to go. You don’t have to look to the left or the
right, because we are all uniquely designed by the God of the universe!
I love this
quote and I see it often, “A flower doesn’t think of competing with the flower
next to it. It just blooms” -Zen Shin
I like a
bouquet of red roses. But, I stop in my tracks for a bouquet with all different types of flowers
tied together. There is something about the unique differences of each one
creatively put together to bring more beauty and radiance. God does the same
with us. He creatively brings us together with all our unique gifts, talents,
personalities and passions to bring about more beauty and radiance.
Sweet
sisters, I pray that we continue to make careful exploration of who we are called to be in Christ! I pray that we would not be puffed up or
think more highly of ourselves, that we would no longer compare ourselves to
the one on the left or the right, and that we would sink ourselves deep into
the work God has called each of us to. I pray that we will continue to do our
creative best with the life He has given us! That we would continue to walk in
the Spirit, coming along side our brothers and sisters gently restoring them to
Christ Jesus! I pray that we would know our Creator deeper every moment. Amen!
Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni
