Competitive Comparison

When you hear the words competitive comparison what immediately comes to mind? Do you think of someone else and compare yourself to them as a way of making yourself feel better about your own imperfections, shortcomings, and failures? I know do this often and yes, it does make me feel better... kinda... for a while... maybe a little. However, bottom line is... IT'S WRONG! Let me explain (and when I say that please understand I still have a lot to learn):


The first question is, why do we compare ourselves to other people? And if the answer is to make ourselves feel good, we should be very wary of that. Timothy Keller in his book The Prodigal God argues that the elder brother spirit does this competitive comparison deal to make himself feel more significant and justify his own weaknesses and failures. In short, he does it to make himself feel better, but life isn't about us feeling good. The Gospel isn't about us feeling good; it wasn't even about Christ feeling good, either. The Gospel isn't intended for us to feel good. I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but that is why Matt Chandler talks about the Cross in this light, "You are going to fail, and you're going to stumble, and you're going to feel dirty, and you're going to feel awkward. The whole point of the Cross is that there'd be this mighty picture of His love and pursuit of you despite you."


And see, here's the really convicting and humbling part of it all: It is easy to compare ourselves to other people and it makes us feel good, but to pose the same question as Francis Chan, "Is Jesus your role model?" Here's the bottom line for us as believers: "Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did" (I John 2:6). Yes, it is easy to sit there and look at others and how they make mistakes to make ourselves feel better, but doing that is wrong. Why? Well, first of all because we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to others, but to Christ. And when I compare myself to Christ, I don't feel too good about where I am. But it is also wrong because unbelievers are still God's creation. Who are we to pass judgment on God's creation? What's just as bad, though, is when we do the same thing to believers, God's children and our brothers and sisters.


Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should dismiss accountability because we shouldn't judge others. No, it is our duty as a believer to hold another believer accountable, but there is a big difference between judging them and holding them accountable and competitive comparison inevitably leads to judgment, not accountability.


All of that to say this, competitive comparison may be easy, natural, make us feel good and all this, but it only does harm to ourselves, others, and our relationships with others. Instead of looking down on people and puffing ourselves up, we should be emptying ourselves and building others up. We are called to be like Christ and He completely poured Himself out so that we could have eternal life. The question is, what are we willing to do for others for His sake?


Making pens and making a difference!
Daniel Patrick


www.facebook.com/PatrickCustomPens
www.stellasvoice.org

P.S. The video with the quote by Francis Chan is here for you to watch if you want!