No Comparison!

No Comparison!

we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Galatians 5:26 The Message

I’ve been doing social media since AOL’s Instant Messenger all the rage and sending PD’s Mid-Week Encouragement since 2003 but something interesting has happened as we’ve begun to document our lives on Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever has been invented while I typed this sentence. We’ve never had so many ways to compare our lives to other people. We know what our friends are eating for breakfast, if they’re drinking a fruity drink on a beach in Florida, when their kids make honor roll, and . . . Lord, help me . . . we’ve even seen photos of vacations from more locations than anyone ever needs to see while we’re stuck here in the frigid North. All those feelings of inferiority we used to only feel when everyone’s Christmas newsletter arrived are now available to us every day via our phones, tablets, and computers.

Social media shows us that everyone else’s house is prettier, their meals taste better, their spouses are more romantic, and their kids are smarter than ours. We can get caught in a never-ending loop of comparison, and nothing makes us feel more unsettled. I guess there’s a reason for the quote, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” because you can always come up short in your own mind when you lose sight of your blessings while counting what someone else has, or at least what they appear to have.

         Social media is just a snapshot of our lives. A quick, fleeting moment that’s well filtered and often not very indicative of real life, which may involve a dog throwing up on the kitchen floor and dinner burning and the fact that your spouse is on your last nerve.

My friend let’s keep in mind that we all have unique gifts, callings, joys, and sorrows. Life is too short for comparison, and it only hurts us to focus on what we don’t have instead. We each need to walk our own road and not spend time looking left or right to see what everyone else is doing, especially because we never know what road someone else is traveling. Sometimes when we look beneath the surface, things aren’t always as they appear. That person with the designer kitchen and perfect kids may be hurting even when it all looks shiny on the outside.

Let’s encourage each other to be the best version of who God has called us to be. Let’s cheer each other on in our victories and successes. Let’s be honest with each other when we’ve failed and feel inadequate and hurting. Isn’t that how we build real relationships anyway? God has far more interesting things for us to do than to spend our time comparing our lives to someone else’s. Embrace the gifts you’ve been given, my friend, and walk your road with the security that can only come from God.

Thanks for reading Pastor Dale’s Mid-Week Encouragement.  It’s not copyrighted so feel free to share it with someone who needs encouragement today. And, if you’re a regular attender of the Mt. Laurel Church of God, please consider reading Matthew 4:12-23 to get yourself ready to hear God’s message this coming Sunday, January 25, as we worship the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Called to know the Way, go the Way, and show you the Way,

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.