Stop Playing the Comparison Game

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

(Psalm 139:14 NKJV)

Have you ever scrolled through Facebook and found seeds of disillusionment beginning to take root? Photos of perfect family holidays and homes that look like they belong in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine create self-doubt. Do you ever compare yourself to a family member with the perfect husband and perfect kids along with a beautiful singing voice? Does your co-worker have organization down to a science? Why can’t my yard be perfectly manicured like my neighbors? Why did she sell thousands of books while I only sold hundreds?

As women we tend to play the comparison game, and social media has added to our distress. How can we stop playing a game we never win?

We can have confidence in who we are, because who we are is who God created us to be.

Let’s turn to creation for some examples. God loves variety. Evergreens stay green all year, but a Maple tree’s leaves turn from green to vibrant reds and yellows before falling to the ground leaving bare branches for the winter. Tulips, Easter lilies, and creeping phlox dazzle us with blooms of pink, white and violet in the spring while yellow mums coordinate with orange pumpkins in the fall.

Giant redwoods tower overhead in California and palm trees grow in south Florida. I can leave the lush forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and travel four hours east and enjoy ocean waves, sand, and sea oats. Denali in Alaska stands over twenty thousand feet, but the tallest mountain in Virginia, where I live, is Mount Rogers reaching less than six thousand feet.

God also loves different weather patterns. Sometimes precipitation comes in the form of snow, rain, sleet, or hail. Each snowflake is unique like each of us.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made, but we are all created in the image of God. We are all part of the body of Christ. Imagine if we switched your thumb with your big toe. Tying your shoes, opening a tight lid, and writing just became more difficult. We would walk off-balance and need a larger shoe.

Each part of the body is right where it needs to be, and so is each part of the body of Christ. We all minister to others in different ways. Not everyone appreciates us, but we’re not everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s okay.

Today, I encourage you to thank God for who you are.  God designed you to be the unique individual you are. When we fall into the comparison game, we are not only doubting our self-worth, but we demonstrate a distrust in God.  God made you to be you and no one else.

Each time you doubt yourself, use it as a reminder to thank God for who you are because you are exactly who He created you to be.

Lord, thank You for creating me as Your masterpiece, fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me stop seeing what everyone else has and appreciate myself for who You want me to be. Amen.

DIG DEEPER

Read Ephesians 2:10 NKJV:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

HIKING THE TRAIL

Do some soul searching as you pray. Ask God if He wants to change something in your life. Ask Him to help you accept yourself as He has accepted you.

RELATED RESOURCE

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Originally posted on June 25, 2021 @ 3:00 am