The Comparison Game {Part 1}

I recently went through some of my old journals from my high school days.  As I flipped through the pages, one for_teens_buttonparticular entry caught my eye, and I read this sentence:

 I want to be skinny like the girls in my class so boys will notice me, too.

My adult heart broke for my then adolescent one.  Throughout the rest of the entry, I spent pages comparing myself to others.

Comparison can be an ugly word, can’t it?  Every day we compare ourselves to others.  We compare our wardrobe, facial features, and even sometimes our confidence with those around us.

We become envious or jealous of what someone else has, which can make us feel like we don’t measure up.

I can remember many times this happened to me in high school.  I sat behind certain girls in my classes and thought…

If I only had her hair, dressed like she did, or had her skin.

I would make myself feel low and inadequate.  It’s even easier to do this with celebrities.  We see Kim Kardashian or Taylor Swift on the cover of a magazine and think, I want to be like her.” We find them flawless and stunningly beautiful.  Again, it can make us feel inadequate because our bodies don’t look like theirs or our hair doesn’t fall as perfectly.

You always measure up with God.

 

Did you know that women in the Bible compared themselves to one another too?

No, they didn’t have celebrities on magazine covers, but they did often compare themselves to the women around them, including their sisters. We’re given a great example of this in Genesis 29 with the story of Rachel and Leah.  They were an example of sibling rivalry at its best.  Here’s a little back story on these sisters:

Leah was the older sister, Rachel the younger. Leah, though she was older, often felt inadequate to Rachel because Rachel was more beautiful.  Actually, in Scripture we are told Rachel was a rare beauty and had a beautiful figure.  Scripture tell us that Leah, on the other hand, had “weak or delicate eyes.” Her eyes were pretty, but not as pretty as Rachel’s.

And Rachel had the love of Jacob.

Jacob was madly in love with Rachel.  While he wanted only her, he was promised to Leah because she was the older sister.  Since Leah knew that Jacob was in love with her younger sister but was forced to marry her, she felt she needed to measure up, so she had lots of sons for Jacob.

Eventually Rachel did marry Jacob, too, but the comparisons and rivalry didn’t stop there. Leah was able to have children, whereas Rachel was not and so on and so forth went the comparisons between the sisters.  There were years of jealousy between the two.  {Check out the rest of their story in Genesis 29-30!}

I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel better to know that women in the Bible dealt with the same comparisons we face today. God tells us that He has made each of us in His image and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

So, why do we compare ourselves to one another?

Much like Leah, we feel someone else has something better than we do.  Whether it’s their wardrobe, their body, their hair, or the attention they get from others, we want it and, because we are different, feel like we don’t measure up.

Did you know that the girl in your class whom you admire so much has insecurities of her own? 

At the same time you’re wishing for her hair, she may be wishing for your smile or your faith. Don’t let Satan get into your head with these thoughts of comparison. He puts them there so you will feel like you never measure up and, girlfriend,

You always measure up with God.

God will never compare us to another person because He has a different purpose for each of us.  He’s given all of us different physical features as well as personal abilities to fulfill His plan for our lives.  It’s difficult because it seems almost natural to compare ourselves, but God doesn’t want us to compare ourselves with one another; He wants us to embrace one another’s attributes as well as flaws.

YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made and when those comparisons creep into your mind, shut them out with this thought:

I always measure up with God.

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Teens | Moms | Mentors

In what ways do you compare yourself to others?

How has God made you different?

How can you help others who may be struggling with comparison? 

 

For further encouragement, download You Are Worthy.

2 thoughts on “The Comparison Game {Part 1}”

  1. That was a great article Amanda,
    Thanks so much for sharing. It’s hard to believe or admit that even at 50 there are still days I struggle with this. Passing this one on.

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