Comparison is a killer!
Well Easter Sunday has come and gone. As a new church planter, I was looking forward to Easter. It’s the christian Super Bowl… it’s the big number day! But as the big day came and went I did what every church planter should not do on Sunday afternoon. I went on social media. As I scrolled through my various feeds, I found myself feeling bad. When I should’ve been rejoicing for the Kingdom wins I was seeing, I was actually feeling insecure and not that great about myself.
Where the heck was this coming from? We’re only 10 weeks old as a church and in church planting standards we are crushing it! We have great numbers but why was I feeling so bad? Oh I get it… comparison. I was comparing myself to churches and leaders who were a lot older than us and had a lot more experience than I do. I was reminded by the Holy Spirit with this scripture.
John 21:21-22 NKJV
Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
This struck me hard because even the first disciples dealt with comparison. Peter had just been told about the gruesome death he would experience in the earlier verses of this passage and immediately he wants John to have a similar experience. BUT Jesus… Jesus says in essence, If I want him to live forever… that’s my business! We must understand Jesus is building His church and He is the one doing the work. Our feelings and expectations have nothing to do with it. Our job is to follow Him.
Don’t compare someone’s highlight reel with your behind-the-scenes.
Comparison will always be a temptation, but don’t take the bait. Make sure to compare yourself to no one but yourself. This isn’t a competition, it’s a kingdom.