Comparison.
It is one of the 10 commandments...the last one to be exact.
Look what God's Word says about coveting in Exodus 20:17.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Exodus 20:17)
Coveting...whether we like to admit it or not...many of us compare our lives and ministry to others. We fall into the comparison trap.
Social media has made it much easier to fall into the comparison trap.
We constantly post about our lives and ministry.
The good stuff of course.
The amazing selfies.
Pictures of the great meal and fellowship that we experienced with other ministry leaders. The picture of us surrounded by influential ministry leaders.
Pictures from the latest conference we attended with all the great connections we made.
Posts about the most recent volunteer training we had with a great turnout. Posts about our most recent speaking engagement and how God blessed it.
We scroll through these kind of pictures and posts and we compare ourselves to other ministries and ministry leaders.
We are always looking for the next great picture we can post on Instagram or Facebook. We think if we can post this picture, then people will like us and think we are important.
Our self-esteem is based on how many people like our posts and pictures. We covet over those who get more likes or shares than we do.
We begin to slip and slide down into the comparison trap.
We grow covetous of other ministries and ministry leaders.
Why didn't they ask me to speak at that conference instead of him or her?
Why wasn't I asked to be part of that initiative?
Why did they choose to publish his book instead of mine?
I could have done a better job at presenting a conference breakout session than her. Why didn't they ask me instead of her?
Why can't I serve at a mega church like he does?
Why were they honored while I was overlooked?
Why is God blessing them and I am stuck in a rut?
Why didn't God give me a singing voice like she has?
Why did they choose him for that ministry role? I am a better leader than he is.
We think if we post a great picture or video, then people will think we are important.
The comparison trap causes you to Forget God's Blessings.
The blessings of God upon our life and ministry are forgotten because we are so busy comparing our ministry to others.
We are so busy rushing on to the next big thing that will hopefully get us recognized that we don't take time to stop and thank Him for His blessings upon our life.
Coveting will rob you of the joy that comes from experiencing God's blessings.
The comparison trap FUELS Jealously and Envy.
Coveting leads to jealously and envy.
Instead of cheering for those around us, we begin to internally criticize them.
Instead of praising God for His blessings on our co-workers, we begin to try to one up them.
The comparison trap causes our FRUIT to Be Hindered.
You won't bear fruit if you are busy inspecting other people's fruit instead of your own. In the book of Song of Solomon, the author says this.
"My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect."
This person was so involved with caring for other people's vineyards, that they neglected their own vineyard. They were so busy worrying about other people's vineyards, that the fruit from their own vineyard dwindled away.
So how can we avoid the comparison trap?
FIND Peace in Contentment.
Paul said this in Philippians 4:12.
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation."
When
you compare your ministry to others, it results in one of two things
happening. You either become filled with pride because you think your
ministry is better than theirs or you become covetous because their
ministry seems to be more important than yours.
Both are wrong ways of thinking.
Be content with the ministry God has given you.
Compare yourself to yourself instead of others.
God wants to anoint you and fill you with His power, not so you can be "better" than "others." Rather it is so you can be a better "you" than "you" were last year. Contentment will help you grow personally.
Walking in contentment will help you overcome the comparison trap.
FOCUS on God's Plan for Your Life.
"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise."
2 Corinthians 10:12
God has a special plan for your life. He has a specific calling upon your life. He made you with a specific blueprint. No one else has your unique blueprint. Walk in it. Live in it. Dwell in it.
Don't spend your time trying to be like someone else. Rather, be the person God made you to be.
There is no one else like you. You are one of a kind.
It's better to be a first class version of yourself than a second rate version of someone else.
FEAR God instead of what others think.
Don't become enslaved by what other people think about you. Many people in ministry are people pleasers. I often find myself in that category.
Our self-worth becomes based on what others think about us.
Our self-esteem rides on the opinions of others.
Remember...you have an audience of one. God is the only one you have to please.
Final thoughts...
In all honesty, I wrote this article to myself. I have gotten trapped in the comparison trap many times. By God's grace, I am striving to grow in this area.
Am I saying we shouldn't post about ourselves on social media? No. But we should check our motives to make sure it is not driven by comparison.
If you resonate with this, then my prayers are with you.
Instead of coveting what our colleagues have, let's cheer for them and pray for them.
May we decrease as He increases in our life.
Let's get out of the comparison trap.
