Encouraging - Sin of Comparison

McDonalds’ success internationally is directly proportional to its ability to create virtually the same dining experience whether in Lincoln, Nebraska or Vienna, Austria. There’s no need to compare McDonalds’ hamburgers from location to location because their core business is built on uniformity. Individuals on the other hand are not uniform. Recently I’ve been struck by the sin of comparison.

A first child offers all sorts of challenges; regardless of others’ urgings it’s hard not to compare our son, Cole, with his contemporaries. From the first doctor’s visit, we’re told our son’s various percentiles (head size, length, and weight) then dutifully reminded at each subsequent visit whether he’s on track or falling behind. Then there’s Reece, one of Cole’s advanced girlfriends, who rolled over at 2 ½ weeks and crawled soon thereafter. But Cole has significantly more teeth than Reece, so there. The other woman in Cole’s life, Elizabeth, also has highly developed motor skills, but on our last visit, her mom said, “why don’t you talk as much as Cole?” It didn’t matter that her daughter crawled more efficiently, signed better, and could successfully assemble a Rubik’s cube…she wanted it all; we all want it all, don’t we? And, we want it right now.

Why have we as a society moved so far from celebrating each person’s uniqueness? God’s plan and pace differs for each person: “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Watching Cole develop in contrast to his peers has reminded me of the simple but poignant fact: the older I get the more I am inclined to compare my life to others. Incidentally, we never compare the whole life; rather, we just compare the perceived “best” aspects of others’ lives. We are not able to walk in another man’s shoes nor do we know what that person’s life is really like. How do we fight our nature to compare ourselves to others?

#1: Remind yourself that you stand before an audience of One. I tell my students that your peers are not your standard, but I fall victim to the same crime. God will hold you accountable for how you choose to use your time and talents not your neighbor’s. Are you too busy looking around yourself to hear what God is calling you to do today?

#2: Remind yourself of all for which you have to be thankful. I take so much for granted. Contentment is a choice. There will always be flashier gadgets to covet, more attractive jobs to pursue, or greener grass in someone else’s yard, but stop for a minute and take inventory of all the ways God has blessed you. Are you cold? Are you hungry? Are you loved?