Spring is a time of renewal. It is a time to re-evaluate what is important and let more of God’s truth grow in your life. Now is the time to clean out old, dusty ways of living and step anew onto God’s path for you. By acknowledging unproductive patterns and habits in your life, you can begin to make changes and live the abundant life God has for you. One specific unproductive habit may be trying to hold you back, and it will most certainly steal your joy – Comparison.
This thief can sneak into your thoughts if you are not on guard. It is incredibly easy to scroll through social media and unconsciously compare your life with the highlight reel of others. Their family may seem happier than yours. Their job is more prestigious or fulfilling. Their titles, looks, checking accounts, or influence can leave you with a sense of inferiority. Thankfully, God’s Word drives truth right through the heart of that inferiority, But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. (NKJV – 1 Corinthians 12:11) You have what God wants you to have. You live where God wants you to live. You were born into the family that God wants you to be in. While life can be hard and seemingly unfair at times, it is important to remember that God is in control and has a wonderful plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Comparing ourselves with others along the way only makes the hard times harder and saps the joy from all the good God has placed in our lives. Take your eyes off of others and stay focused on who He is and what He has for you to do. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. (NKJV – Galatians 6:4)
Here is a hopeful truth to hold onto: The ground is level at the cross. Regardless of what people have or endure in this life, regardless of sin and shame, regardless of how we may view ourselves at any given moment, the truth remains that God does not compare us to each other. He compares us to His Son, Jesus, who painstakingly became one of us and died in our place so the Father would look at us and see Him. When you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have everything. No comparison is needed. ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord. (NKJV – Jeremiah 9:23-24)
This Spring, clean out your closets and your basement. Dispose of the clothes that no longer fit and the appliances that no longer work. And through it all, realize the spiritual lesson in these actions and eliminate comparison. Compare yourself to Christ alone, and rejoice as He makes you more like Him. Your joy depends on it!
Jamie Clawson
EHM Contributor
