Less Comparison and More Thankfulness

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

Comparing ourselves to others is a deadly trap. It robs us of joy, makes us feel inferior, and not enough; it creates envy for those who are more beautiful, more successful, more gifted, more wealthy, have more toys. And all kinds of other mores. When we compare, we lessen our worth and live with disappointment, envy, sometimes anger, and usually discontent. 

Here is the irony of comparison. First, even those you compare yourself to often compare themselves to someone else. In other words, while you think that your life would be so much better if you were like them, they feel their lives would be so much better if they were like someone else. The goalposts of life change because there is always someone else to compare ourselves with and, in the process, create discontent and disappointment with our own lives.

Why should we compare ourselves less? Reason one is that God has uniquely created you just as He wanted to for a purpose that only you can fulfill. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

When Paul writes that you are God’s handiwork, he uses a word that means a unique, one-of-a-kind work of art. There is no one like you and never will be. You were crafted and created uniquely by God for good works. And get this: He prepared those good works for us to do in advance of our even being here. God has a purpose and plan for your life that no one else can fulfill the way you can. 

That is why we ought to have less comparison and more thanksgiving. God created and crafted you to join Him in His work in this world. Those you compare yourself to cannot do what God made you for. Nor can you do what they were created for. We are all one-of-a-kind creations that are unique and special and called. 

Paul gives us a second reason not to compare ourselves in 1 Corinthians 12, where he writes about spiritual gifts.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work.

“Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

So Paul is repeating this truth from Ephesians, but then he goes to the question of “who is more important in all this?” Because the truth is that when we compare, we are wishing we were more important, and those we compare ourselves to are perceived to be more important. 

Using the analogy of the human body, he says this: Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor….Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

None of us is more important than the other in God’s kingdom. We are one body, and the same Spirit distributed all our gifts. Therefore we need to repent of comparing ourselves to others and live in thanksgiving for who God made us and the ministry He has called us to. If we were to rid ourselves of the trap of comparison, we would live far healthier, joyful, and satisfying lives - just as we were created for.

The belief that we would be happier if we were more like others is a lie of the Devil, who wants to poison our joy and make us feel less than who God created us to be. So don’t fall for it. Instead, live in thanksgiving for the unique you God created and the unique way you can contribute to His kingdom. 

Father: Thank you today for how you made me and gifted me. Help me never compare myself to others but to live in thanksgiving for the unique me you created and help me join you in your work with the gifts you have given. Amen.

The question for today: Who do I need to stop comparing myself to, and how do I live in daily thanksgiving for who God made me?