HOW WELL DO I COMPARE WITH OTHERS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, 
without comparing himself to somebody else, 
for each one should carry his own load. 
(Galatians 6:4-5)

MEDITATION:
We live in a competitive world where we are accustomed to being judged by others.
In school we are given tests to judge how much we have learned.
As children, our parents reward or punish us 
based on their judgment of our actions.
In our jobs, our work is evaluated, and in a good company, 
we are compensated fairly for our accomplishments.
This type of environment can cause us to be constantly judging ourselves.

It’s not a bad thing to evaluate ourselves and our actions 
(especially in comparison to God’s expectations), 
but we have a tendency to take one of two extremes:
Either we see only our bad side (and overlook our good qualities 
and consider ourselves inferior), or we see only our good side 
(and overlook our faults, which causes us 
to think more highly of ourselves than we should).

Our self-esteem often rises and falls based on our comparisons with others.
When we feel superior, it feeds our ego and raises our self-esteem.
But, when we feel inferior, our self-esteem is damaged.
Some people don’t think they are “good enough” 
unless they are at least on par with another specific person. 
They spend their entire life trying to “match up” with someone else, 
instead of being happy with the person God created them to be.

This is probably why God inspired Paul 
to tell the Galatians (and us) that He judges us on our own actions, 
and not how they compare to the actions of others.
When we focus on our own actions (without comparing ourselves to others), 
we can rejoice over how well we have done, 
rather than enjoying how poorly someone else has done.

One of the typical methods people use to ‘build themselves up’ 
is to ‘put others down’.
This often leads to gossip, lying, and an overall poor relationship with others. 
When our life is based on how we compare with others, it can have 
a devastating impact on us if we cannot find anyone who seems inferior to us.

Rather than being influenced by a world that encourages us 
to constantly compare ourselves to others, 
as Christians, we should consider God as our measuring stick.
When we do, we will discover that our self-esteem is much healthier 
if our thoughts, words, actions, and even our work ethics please the Lord, 
rather than how we compare to those around us.

When we consider another person’s relationship with the Lord, 
we can only see what is on the surface (the things they want us to see).
We have no idea of their inner thoughts, 
or if The Holy Spirit is alive in their hearts.
Conversely, they have no idea 
of what is going on ‘behind the curtains’ in our lives.

ACTION:
Have you been spending too much time comparing yourself to others, 
and possibly a specific person?
Most people are going to conceal their faults as much as possible, 
so any comparisons you make will be unfair and unbalanced anyway.

Take to heart God’s message through Paul and learn to be pleased 
or disappointed with your own actions, without comparing them to others.
When your actions please the Lord, they will please you as well, 
regardless of how they compare with those around you.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me that my ultimate goal 
is to please You rather than comparing myself to others. Help me to 
restructure my thinking so that I will have a greater concern about
my relationship with You. Teach me to be pleased with the way You 
made me and not how I compare with others.”

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