Okay so on Sunday the sermon was about comparing yourself to others, comparing your life with others and much more. It was awesome!!! Then I read on a blog that I love about there view on Comparison. Oh my gosh!!!!!! It was just the sermon almost for everything. I wanted to share there post with you all. Hope you all are very blessed very much with it!! 🙂
What is comparison? By Allison
Comparison, we all struggle with it. Why does it affect us so much? We do we place so much value on what others are doing, and why do we base our own personal success (or lack thereof) on the success that we see in others?
Ultimately, I think it comes down to our desire for approval, as well as the insecurity we feel when we don’t receive that approval. We want to be the best, and we want to do well at what we do. We want to hear the words “well done” to reassure ourselves. There isn’t anything wrong with wanting to do well, but it does become a problem when we look for the seal of approval from something or someone other than God.
It really becomes a problem when we get so wrapped up in this approval that it drives us to compare ourselves to other people and other situations, even ones completely different from our own. It’s easy to look at how much better someone is doing at *insert subject/talent/etc.* We have to remember that God didn’t design us to tear ourselves, or each other, down. He didn’t design us to compare ourselves to one another. We are all created in one image (God’s), but in that we have so much diversity and uniqueness.
It’s not healthy to compare ourselves to each other. We all know this, yet we still do it. It seems to be something that has literally been instilled into our society, and sometimes it’s even encouraged. We watch with adoration people who have been polished by their very own “Glam Squad” in order to appear perfect. We are encouraged to compare ourselves to and strive to be like them. We are told that their polished version is how our unfiltered reality should be.
The fact is, we don’t have an objective view of ourselves. We don’t see ourselves the way others see us. Rarely do we see the best in ourselves, and more often than not, we see the worst. In choosing to see and emphasize our flaws, we allow ourselves to compare them to the best parts of others. This drives us to jealousy. Comparison seems harmless, but the effects can cause so much damage. It can lead to contention and jealousy between you and even your closest friends.
The worst of it comes when comparison drives you to idolatry and pulls you away from God. Anything that comes between ourselves and God is ultimately an idol, and when we place so much value this version of ourselves that we’re trying to create, it can easily turn into an idol. Regardless of whether or not it’s something we physically bow down to, if we place more value in this whole comparison deal than we do in God, we have created an idol. This is another reason why comparison is so dangerous. If we are consumed by thoughts about comparison, we are placing more value on what we (and others) think of ourselves than how God really sees us.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to our desire for approval, as well as the insecurity we feel when we don’t receive that approval. We want to be the best, and we want to do well at what we do. We want to hear the words “well done” to reassure ourselves. There isn’t anything wrong with wanting to do well, but it does become a problem when we look for the seal of approval from something or someone other than God.
It really becomes a problem when we get so wrapped up in this approval that it drives us to compare ourselves to other people and other situations, even ones completely different from our own. It’s easy to look at how much better someone is doing at *insert subject/talent/etc.* We have to remember that God didn’t design us to tear ourselves, or each other, down. He didn’t design us to compare ourselves to one another. We are all created in one image (God’s), but in that we have so much diversity and uniqueness.
It’s not healthy to compare ourselves to each other. We all know this, yet we still do it. It seems to be something that has literally been instilled into our society, and sometimes it’s even encouraged. We watch with adoration people who have been polished by their very own “Glam Squad” in order to appear perfect. We are encouraged to compare ourselves to and strive to be like them. We are told that their polished version is how our unfiltered reality should be.
The fact is, we don’t have an objective view of ourselves. We don’t see ourselves the way others see us. Rarely do we see the best in ourselves, and more often than not, we see the worst. In choosing to see and emphasize our flaws, we allow ourselves to compare them to the best parts of others. This drives us to jealousy. Comparison seems harmless, but the effects can cause so much damage. It can lead to contention and jealousy between you and even your closest friends.
The worst of it comes when comparison drives you to idolatry and pulls you away from God. Anything that comes between ourselves and God is ultimately an idol, and when we place so much value this version of ourselves that we’re trying to create, it can easily turn into an idol. Regardless of whether or not it’s something we physically bow down to, if we place more value in this whole comparison deal than we do in God, we have created an idol. This is another reason why comparison is so dangerous. If we are consumed by thoughts about comparison, we are placing more value on what we (and others) think of ourselves than how God really sees us.
Three things you need to understand before making a comparison: By Lili
Things you must understand before I go any further:
1. Most people only post the best out of 100 pictures.
2. There are 99 other pictures in their camera roll that didn’t make the cut.
3. You are not doing what you were created to do by comparing yourself to someone else.
If you’re getting dressed for church on a Sunday and have two dresses, one being super clean (it smells great all that good stuff), and the other is dirty (and doesn’t smell too great), which one are you going to wear? I think we all would choose the clean dress; the one that makes us feel pretty. It’s similar with the things we see posted on social media. Everyone is trying to present themselves in the best possible way, and save themselves from possible embarrassment. We know that everything we see shared by someone else is edited because we know how edited everything we share ourselves is. Despite this knowledge, we continue to compare our real, unfiltered life to someone’s edited, perfected version. How is that fair to you? News flash: it’s not.
1. Most people only post the best out of 100 pictures.
2. There are 99 other pictures in their camera roll that didn’t make the cut.
3. You are not doing what you were created to do by comparing yourself to someone else.
If you’re getting dressed for church on a Sunday and have two dresses, one being super clean (it smells great all that good stuff), and the other is dirty (and doesn’t smell too great), which one are you going to wear? I think we all would choose the clean dress; the one that makes us feel pretty. It’s similar with the things we see posted on social media. Everyone is trying to present themselves in the best possible way, and save themselves from possible embarrassment. We know that everything we see shared by someone else is edited because we know how edited everything we share ourselves is. Despite this knowledge, we continue to compare our real, unfiltered life to someone’s edited, perfected version. How is that fair to you? News flash: it’s not.
Comparison in the Bible, and how it relates to us. By Anna Carlin
Genesis 27 “One day when Isaac was old and turning blind, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied. “I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know when I may die. Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.” But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game, she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau, ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the LORD’s presence before I die.’ Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you. Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish. Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.” “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.” But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats for me!” So Jacob went out and got the young goats for his mother. Rebekah took them and prepared a delicious meal, just the way Isaac liked it. Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave them to her younger son, Jacob. She covered his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skin of the young goats. Then she gave Jacob the delicious meal, including freshly baked bread. So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said. “Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you—Esau or Jacob?” Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.” Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God put it in my path!” Jacob replied. Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.” So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said. But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob. “But are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “Yes, I am,” Jacob replied. Then Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then I will give you my blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.” So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the LORD has blessed! “From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.” As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father, Esau returned from his hunt. Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. Then he said, “Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your blessing.” But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.” Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged. But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?” Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?” Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and wept. Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the heaven above. You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.” From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.” But Rebekah heard about Esau’s plans. So she sent for Jacob and told him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you. So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran. Stay there with him until your brother cools off. When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick and tired of these local Hittite women! I would rather die than see Jacob marry one of them.”
To sum up this story (because, let’s be honest, you skimmed through it anyway), Jacob was jealous of his older brother, Esau, so he tricked his dad into giving him (through something like a modern-day will) everything that rightly belonged to his brother, Esau, who was the firstborn son. This is a pretty spot on example of comparison leading to jealousy, which my girl Allison mentioned earlier. For all of you with the attention span of a fruit fly (same!!!), I’ll spare the long winded explanation, and tell you that Jacob is basically what NOT to do. Self explanatory enough, right?
To sum up this story (because, let’s be honest, you skimmed through it anyway), Jacob was jealous of his older brother, Esau, so he tricked his dad into giving him (through something like a modern-day will) everything that rightly belonged to his brother, Esau, who was the firstborn son. This is a pretty spot on example of comparison leading to jealousy, which my girl Allison mentioned earlier. For all of you with the attention span of a fruit fly (same!!!), I’ll spare the long winded explanation, and tell you that Jacob is basically what NOT to do. Self explanatory enough, right?
Monitoring your selfie and keeping it real: By Mia
On one hand, social media is a beautiful way in which we can share the little bits of heaven that we see in our everyday lives; the beauty of nature, the joy of laughter, or the community we find in being with others. On the other hand, it can be a place where we lose sight of who we are and get stuck in the mud of the “comparison game.”
We struggle with authenticity in our real lives, so it is only natural that we struggle with it on social media as well. We’ve been focusing on how we are subject to comparing ourselves to others based on THEIR posts, but we haven’t taken a look at ourselves. To compete with the people who make us feel bad about ourselves, we edit and share only the best from our lives. In the process, how many people do WE make feel like rubbish? Here are a few things we can do to avoid other people feeling that heavy rock of inadequacy when they scroll through your feed:
1. Recognize that you aren’t perfect. Everybody knows this, right? We’ve been told over and over and over that we were born to be real, yet we go to great lengths to make our lives look as perfect as possible. Share some moments of realness and realization; don’t be afraid to make yourself vulnerable. Baby steps; this is a lot easier said than done.
2. Serve others through your posts. Make an effort to be encouraging and uplifting. Maybe someone needs a word of encouragement, maybe someone needs a spark of positivity. If that’s a way you can serve make the most of it!
3. Reflect everything back to Him. Let your social media platform be the essence of His goodness and grace. Use all the things (including social media!!!) that we have been given to glorify His might.
To be perfectly honest, it comes back to the golden rule, Matthew 7:12 Treat others how you wish to be treated.
We struggle with authenticity in our real lives, so it is only natural that we struggle with it on social media as well. We’ve been focusing on how we are subject to comparing ourselves to others based on THEIR posts, but we haven’t taken a look at ourselves. To compete with the people who make us feel bad about ourselves, we edit and share only the best from our lives. In the process, how many people do WE make feel like rubbish? Here are a few things we can do to avoid other people feeling that heavy rock of inadequacy when they scroll through your feed:
1. Recognize that you aren’t perfect. Everybody knows this, right? We’ve been told over and over and over that we were born to be real, yet we go to great lengths to make our lives look as perfect as possible. Share some moments of realness and realization; don’t be afraid to make yourself vulnerable. Baby steps; this is a lot easier said than done.
2. Serve others through your posts. Make an effort to be encouraging and uplifting. Maybe someone needs a word of encouragement, maybe someone needs a spark of positivity. If that’s a way you can serve make the most of it!
3. Reflect everything back to Him. Let your social media platform be the essence of His goodness and grace. Use all the things (including social media!!!) that we have been given to glorify His might.
To be perfectly honest, it comes back to the golden rule, Matthew 7:12 Treat others how you wish to be treated.
Can you not? Comparison Alternatives By Kelsey
When we can’t be content with what we have, we aren’t trusting that God knows what we need. We grumble and complain instead of being thankful. As one of my favorite quotes says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I tend to find myself slightly depressed and left with a bad attitude when I realize I don’t have something that it seems like everyone else has, or I don’t feel beautiful compared to an edited selfie of another girl. That’s not healthy, and it causes unnecessary worry and stress. We can be so hard on ourselves as girls! But God wants us to know that He never leaves us and knows our needs and only gives us the very best. Most of the time, when we finally get what we wanted, it only satisfies us for a short time. And then something newer comes along that we absolutely can’t live without. It’s a remarkable, never ending cycle, and a complete lie! But there is an escape in believing that God says we are enough and what we have is enough.
1 Timothy 6:6-7 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.
Material things are temporary. Godliness, faith, purity, and love are things we should long for and pursue. They have a lasting impact on us and others.
There you have it, the “secret” to contentment amidst the temptation to compare. Keep your eyes on Jesus and be overwhelmed with gratitude.
1 Timothy 6:6-7 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.
Material things are temporary. Godliness, faith, purity, and love are things we should long for and pursue. They have a lasting impact on us and others.
There you have it, the “secret” to contentment amidst the temptation to compare. Keep your eyes on Jesus and be overwhelmed with gratitude.
Have you forgotten Who you belong to?! By Makenzy
You have your very own beautifully written, fabulous, imperfectly perfect story authored by the King of Kings Himself. Do not go pining after another person’s story. Don’t do it, girl. The Bible proclaims that Jesus’s ways are perfect. He’s got this. He’s got you, your busted heart and all its flaws, your abilities and dreams in His hands. It breaks His heart when He sees you belittling your own beautiful qualities. Just because you realize how great that girl looks in her selfies, or how confident she always seems, or how she has perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect relationships, perfect personality, etc, etc, etc… The thing is, no matter what is seen on the outside, the simple truth of it all is this: we are all messy. We are all flawed. We are all in need of Jesus. He is writing that girl’s story just like He is yours. Hand Him the pen and find joy in the truth that your story is redeemed and messy and real and lovely and full of Jesus… And, hey, it has a beautiful, victorious ending too.
Yes I did copy and past it all!!! They get ALL the credit for it!!!! 🙂
If you want to see there blog or post on there blog. Click there name: Faithful and Fancy
God bless!!!
~Angle
~Angle
Hi! I teenfaith777, I'm here to help tweens, teens, and young adults to get on fire for God. John 14:6: Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me.
Spreading The Love of JESUS 
Great thoughts!
Here is another Bible verse that jumped out at me before:
For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12
Amen to that!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! 🙂