Comparing

I was participating in a Bible study called "Can We Talk?" by Priscilla Shirer this summer and the topic of comparing came up. It must have been something that God wanted me to hear, because it not only stuck with me, but God kept bringing other Scriptures to mind. There are so many ways that people compare themselves to others and it rarely ends well. Either they begin to think that they are better than the other person and vanity and arrogance surface, or they see themselves as inadequate and their self-esteem plummets. The cure is to see ourselves the way that God sees us.

Physical appearance is a huge area of comparison. I'm not as slender as that woman. I'm not as pretty as another. I wish I had her hair. The list can go on and on. If you talk to just about any woman and ask her to list her physical "faults" she could rattle several off in a heartbeat, but if you ask her to tell you how she's beautiful, she may have to think for a while. Why is that?  In Psalm 139:13-16 it talks about how God formed us before we were born. It says:

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

I was thinking recently that when God formed me, He didn't step back, gasp and say "I made a mistake!" God created me to look exactly the way I do, so why do I wish His design away? We know that God looks at our heart and not our outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7) so shouldn't I be more concerned about what my inward beauty looks like? Have you ever met someone who you thought was beautiful, but you got to know them and they were rude, selfish, arrogant, and mean? One day you look at them and wonder what made you think they were beautiful. On the other hand, you meet someone who is "average" looking, but they're sweet, loyal, and kind and one day you realize how beautiful they really are. Our inner beauty shows through and can alter our outer appearance. Besides that, my looks will change as I age, but I can still be beautiful in God's eyes and that's what I long to be.

Talent is another area of comparison. No matter what I'm good at, I can find someone who does it better. I can complain that I don't sing as well as someone else and refuse to sing, or I can realize that God can still use my voice in a variety of capacities and be willing to serve Him where He leads. My writing is okay. Others write much better, but I keep plugging at it and striving to improve. I need to not be concerned about being "the best" and instead be busy to use what God has given me to His glory.

The one that always gets me is when I hear people comparing spiritual gifts. This has been going on since the early church was formed. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul describes the church as a body with many members. He says in verse 21, "And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”' Sometimes I see people who seem to think that other members are unnecessary, because they have great pride in their own gift and feel they can handle everything. More often, I see the opposite though. Verse 15 says, "If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body." There are those who think that they aren't necessary for the working of the body. They wish they had a different gift, but forget that God chose for them to have that particular gift to perform a specific task, service, or ministry. 

A gall bladder can seem like an insignificant part of the body, but I can tell you from experience that when it doesn't perform it's duty, it hurts the entire body! Unlike our human bodies, there are no surgeries to remove organs from the body of Christ. You may think that your gift isn't important, but when you don't use it, the body of Christ suffers and will continue to suffer, because you are an integral part of the working and cannot be removed. God will not remove you, You cannot remove yourself and no one else can remove you either. If you think about how God gave each one of us a specific gift in a specific place at a specific time to be used in a specific way, it's absolutely phenomenal! What would happen if everyone in the body of Christ used their gift in the way that God intended? I think we would see amazing things happen!

We need to stop looking around and look up. See ourselves the way God sees us. Do what God intended for us to do. Let God work through us and give Him the glory!