[Ones who] measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves are not wise. 1 Corinthians 10:12

The other day I made the mistake of reading one of the countless online church growth articles that seem to appear in my inbox daily.  I’m not sure what caught my eye, but the click-bait headline was something like, “Grow Your Church NOW!” or some such thing. The article was no doubt written by some tech savvy, mega-church hipster pastor who wears skinny jeans, a tee shirt one size too small  and has a full head of hair. And as I read down through the article, I felt my spirit deflate.  According to him, it’s essential that we mount a successful social media advertising campaign.  And as a senior leader, I need to cultivate a greater “executive presence.” And to be effective, I need to “be calm, collected, and seen as the person with all the answers.” And further, our church should “clarify its brand,” expand our online presence and explore the power of multi-campus alternatives. By the end of the article I felt old, defeated and inadequate.  I had fallen for the oldest trick in the Enemy’s playbook- false comparison.

This happens to all of us.  It’s so easy to slip into unhealthy comparison. Perhaps you’re scrolling through a social media feed and happen upon an old classmate who posts postcard-perfect family pictures, or on LinkedIn where a colleague is celebrating some career milestone. And you think, “I’ll never measure up; I’m not good enough.” I know many people who, when they were growing up, were constantly compared to another sibling.  “Why can’t you be like your brother/sister?” How hurtful!

Comparison is especially toxic for young people.  According to a recent study, 91% of young women are dissatisfied with their bodies- 91%!! I’m sorry, but that’s just wrong. This, then, often leads to depression, unhealthy dieting and even eating disorders.  The media definitely encourages comparison by telling us who is successful, sexy, and beautiful (and then tells us what we need to buy or do to be just like them). It’s superficial, unkind and completely unfair.

The truth is something completely different.  You are precisely as God intended. God intentionally and specifically created you uniquely in his image (Genesis 1:27) and for his own purpose (Psalm 57:2). You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and a one-of-a-kind masterpiece created in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). God isn’t comparing you to anyone else, so why are you?

When we fall into the trap of false comparison, we say to our Creator, “God, you made a mistake and I’m not satisfied with your design.  I want something ‘more.’”  And that’s exactly what Satan wants.  The original sin was believing the lie that God was holding out on us and that we could be so much more… and if we’d just take a bite of that fruit…. And so we did, and things didn’t work out so good for anyone. If only Adam and Eve had been satisfied with God alone.

Rejecting comparison and choosing to rest in how God made us, frees us.  It frees us from the expectations of other. It frees us from trying to be something that we are not. And it frees us to become all that God created us to be.  When I reject comparison, it clears the path for me to focus my energy on truly becoming the person God meant when he meant me.

Reject comparison. As you yield to the Holy Spirit, you are becoming exactly the person God created you to be.

It is the image of God reflected in you that so enrages hell; it is this at which the demons hurl their mightiest weapons. ~ William Gurnall