Stop Comparing and Start Preparing
In life, one of the most subtle temptations that we fall for every now and again is the temptation of comparing ourselves to others. Listen, it’s okay to be impressed with others. It’s okay to celebrate others and their successes. But the moment you start comparing yourself with others because of your insecurities, let me be the first to tell you…You don’t want that smoke.
When you compare yourself to others subconsciously, you start focusing on what you don’t have. And the person you compare yourself to, you notice what they do have. Suddenly, you start noticing what they have is better, what they have looks good, and what they have smells good, and before you know it, you somehow start to believe that what they have should belong to you. Listen, comparison opens the door to the spirit of jealousy. Jealousy is a fire that is not easily consumed. The scripture says it like this: “ Do not covet anything in your neighbor’s house.”
When you compare yourself to others, amnesia begins to permeate your mind, and you forget that you have been fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God- Not just the person you are comparing yourself to. You forget that God has crowned YOU with favor and honor, not just the person you are comparing yourself to. You start to forget about God’s faithfulness towards you. The scripture reminds us that The Lord will fulfill his purpose for us. It will be hard to be filled with excitement about what God wants to fulfill in your life if you keep looking to the right and to the left, sizing up other people, and comparing yourself to them.
Rather than compare, start to prepare. Prepare yourself for what God wants to do in and fulfill in your life. Listen, it’s okay to admire other people, but has it occurred to you that you are the vessel that God wants to raise up in this season? You might be saying, “Me, Alex! God wants to be good to me? Do you know what I’ve been through and am currently in the middle of? Listen, the scripture says it like this: I would have fainted unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Your job in preparing is simply believing that you will encounter the goodness of the Lord! Remember, what you focus on will come into focus. In comparing yourself to others, if you keep focusing on what you don’t have, you can expect to gather much of the same. However, if you walk around looking like you expect an asteroid-size rock of God’s goodness to hit you, my friends, that’s what you will have.
When we compare ourselves to others, it is usually out of an insecurity. Our insecurities are falsely created in our desire to attain perfection and acceptance. This is exactly what the serpent told Adam and Eve- “If you eat this, you will be like God…” Here’s the wisdom. Perfection is not the goal. Growth is. Acceptance is not the goal. You have already been accepted by God. I believe that God has already accepted you and that His desire is to grow and mature you so that you can have more opportunities to prosper, flourish, and opportunities to influence others. My friends, stop focusing on what others are doing and get excited about what God is doing in you!
