The #1 Reason why you should stop comparing yourself to others
Most, if not all of us have been there.
We look at our lives in comparison to people around us and think, “How come God seems to be blessing their every step, but not mine?”
Though you’d never admit it publicly, you probably feel like you can make a solid case for why you at least, “love Jesus more than they do!” and why that should at least earn you some bonus answered-prayer points. Yet, God seems to be on their speed-dial, while you’re put on perpetual hold.
This was my story a number of years ago. I had a friend who seemed to be receiving everything I was asking God for. I prayed that God would bless me with a great job; he got a promotion at work. I prayed that God would help me meet a great girl; he started dating a cute athlete. I was so bitter, I considered asking God to send me to the jungles of Africa to serve as a missionary, (in turn, hoping God would send him far far enough so he'd stop stealing all my mojo).
But then one day, God graciously decided to explain himself. The thought hit me one afternoon, “Segun, the story I’m telling in your life is not the same story I’m telling in his life.”
It was simple but profound. I understood it to mean that God had him and I on different tracks. His track involved sooner stops at stations like marriage, work, and a house. My track took me on a longer path that involved layovers at stations like singleness, seminary, mission trips, and lots of tearful prayer. It didn't make me more holy or better than he, it just meant we were on different journeys.
If God were to allow me to get off at stations not intended for me, (my friend’s), it would negatively impact my timely arrival at the ultimate destination God had in mind for me.
So I stopped comparing.
It hasn’t necessarily been smooth sailing, but whenever I feel the, “comparison game” coming on, I remind myself, “Dude, not your station.”
→ → TALKBACK: What "stations" in life do you feel stuck in and who do you tend to compare yourself to? What’s the downside to playing the, “comparison game?” Any upside to it?
