Not a Competition
I scroll through my phone and come across a picture of someone, “Wow, she’s gorgeous. Why can’t I have her hair?” I think. I look in the mirror and try to comb through my tangled mess before throwing it up into a ponytail. I go to the gym with my baggy t-shirt and leggings and look in the mirror again. I look to my left and see some girl in spandex and a low cut-off running on the treadmill and think, “Wow, she’s tiny. Why can’t I look like her?”
Comparisons, comparisons, comparisons.
Such evil things, aren’t they? So easy to do, so easy to see, so easy to believe.
But why do this to ourselves? Why choose to compare apples to oranges? Why believe the lies that we are not enough?
Please understand this...
No one is perfect.
This may come as a shock to you with all the comparing and worrying you do in regards to other people. But it’s absolutely 100% true. There is not a single soul on this entire planet that is perfect.
And there is not a single soul on this planet that does not deal with struggles. There is power and strength that comes from knowing that everyone is broken in some way. Everyone has something going on.
You may look at someone else’s life and think, “Why isn’t that me? Why can’t I have that? Why can’t I look like that? Why can’t I be like that?” Get it through your head right now that that is not your life to live. You were not made to be a replica of someone else.
You were made to be special and unique and extraordinary and amazing. You weren’t made to look at what you don’t have compared to what others do. You were made to shine by being who you are, who God made you to be. Not what the world says you should be or who you think you want to be like.
Comparison steals your joy.
Comparing leads to envy. And envy leads to hate. Instead of looking for the good in people, you start to have this desire to dig up the bad so your life doesn’t seem as broken or unfulfilled. You start to feel jealous towards others when you compare yourself to who they are. You start to focus on what you don’t have rather than what you do have.
You have gifts. Believe that. You are wonderful. You have a purpose. Use your gifts. Pursue your purpose.
Romans 12:4-8 tells us how important it is to use these gifts, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
If you spend all your energy and focus in being like others or listening to what the world wants from you, you may miss out on the very purpose God put you on this earth to fulfill. When you spend so much time worrying about others and what they’re doing, what they’re achieving, what they look like, you start to lose yourself in the midst of the comparison. You jeopardize your joy.
Life is not a competition.
It’s not meant to be a showdown to see who can earn the most money or who can make themselves look the best. It’s not meant to be a battle of beauty or wealth or material things. Life is meant to be a gift. It is meant to be a way for you to reflect your relationship with Christ. And you can do that by loving on others rather than comparing to others.
I am no better than the person who has made a thousand more mistakes than I. I am no better than anyone I come into contact with, and you aren’t either. Everyone has a story. Everyone has struggles. We all deal with insecurities and fears and failures, whether or not we choose to be vocal about it and let the world know. We all have problems. Some may be big, some may be small. But we are equals. We are all human. Just because your story is different than someone else’s does not mean you are better or worse. You have no idea what is past the surface of another. Therefore, your comparison is normally based on a false sense of someone’s identity. Remember that.
As you’re scrolling through different social media feeds, you may have already fell into the comparison trap. Social media can be deceiving. Just because you see a happy couple posing for a cute picture does not mean their relationship is only sunshine and rainbows. Just because you see a flawless picture of someone does not mean they don’t struggle with insecurities too. Just because you see someone with a lot of money does not mean they are happy with their job. Do not be deceived by what you think you see.
It does not matter if you have the best house, it does not matter if you have the best car, the best hair, the best skin. What matters at the end of this life is how you loved, how you spread the love of God around, what impact you made, and who you cared for. That is what will remain when your time is done. Not comparisons, not material things, not beauty or money or possessions.
Why in the heck would you treat life as a competition when we’re all running in different events? We all have our own purposes. There is no sense in trying to fulfill someone else’s.
While although you are a mess, you are also a masterpiece. Let go of comparing. Let go of thinking you are not enough. Let go of wishing your life away. Hold onto compliments instead of comparisons. Hold onto the plan God has for you. Hold onto your passions and gifts. Hold onto this wonderful gift called life. Speak truth to your comparisons. Free yourself. Find yourself.