It is almost so pervasive in our lives that we don’t notice it. It is so easy to compare ourselves to others that most days we barely take the time to think about it. Tonight, a challenge to think about ways you do it, and why you shouldn’t.
Ways we compare ourselves to others.
1. How we’re doing compared to our contemporaries.
We look at people with similar age ranges, family sizes, income levels, and we find ways to see if we’re somehow doing better.
Do we make just a bit more, have we invested better in our homes or made them look better, are we able to afford a slightly better car? Are our kids behaved better, doing better in school, going to a better school?
Compare, compare, compare . . . on and on it can go if we don’t think about it.
2. Our views.
We have the tendency to formulate our views about ___________ and simply think we’re better than people who have different views. How does this work out? Politics, parenting, grocery shopping, eating & dieting, or fill in your own blank.
Challenge: Think about the last time you did this. It’s weird, isn’t it? You probably didn’t even realize it.
3. Spiritual growth.
It is very easy to look at the outward characteristics of others, especially the things you like the least, and compare how you’re doing to how someone else is doing. Feeling spiritually advanced compared to someone else makes for easy self-justification. And, what’s really good: you can always find someone who’s not doing quite as well as you.
WHY THIS IS EVIL
Yes, it’s evil. Here’s why:
1. Comparing yourself to someone else is senseless: humans are mortal.
Trying to feel better than someone else is terrible because you ultimately have the same thing in common: you’ll both die, and then your comparisons won’t matter.
2. We should compare ourselves to God’s Word.
When it comes to ourselves, the only role others should play is helping us get closer to the standards contained in God’s Word. The surefire way to bankrupt your soul is to get your affirmation from any other source besides heart-felt obedience to God’s Word.
3. Comparing ourselves to others actually keeps them down; we should help lift people up.
When we’ve sought self-satisfaction by comparing ourself (favorably) to someone else, we limit them. Why would we want them to improve? If they improve, the only thing that would accomplish is REDUCING our own view of ourselves.
Instead, we should desire to lift others up – even if that’s higher and better than we are!
Think. What are the ways in which you compare yourself to others?
Act. In what ways can you begin to build people up and seek their best, regardless of how far ahead of you they get? What would it take for you to worry less about feeling superior to others? Memorizing Colossians 3:15 is a practical way to fight these very hidden desires.