Comparison & other People's Opinions
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying:
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Romans 12:3-8 NLT
[3] Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. [4] Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, [5] so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. [6] In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. [7] If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. [8] If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
God doesn’t compare you to those around you. He compares you to the potential that He has put within you. And that potential is often defined by how you act, or don’t act, “in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
If God has created you to prophesy, then prophesy in proportion to your faith. If God has created you to serve, then serve in accordance with the amount of faith God has given you. If teaching, teach, if encouraging, encourage, if giving, give generously, if leading, govern diligently, if showing mercy, show it cheerfully.
By living your life in this way, it releases you from the trap of comparing yourself with others and from the pitfalls of both pride and low self-esteem.
But living this way is easier said than done. Sometimes we’re unable to see ourselves for who we really are and it takes others to point it out to us. But we have to be careful whose judgments we take into account.
Sometimes we have to let the words of others sink deep into our hearts so that we believe them. Other times, we have to do as Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes and let them just pass on by:
“Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you–for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others” (Ecclesiastes 7:21-22).
Not every word someone says about you is true, nor is it the whole truth. Only God has that perspective. Don’t think you’re stupid if you can’t climb a tree if God has created you to swim!
Renew your mind today in the way you think of yourself. Take what others say with a grain of salt, then take it to God for His perspective. Let God tell you exactly what He thinks of you, without getting puffed up and without getting down on yourself, but with sober judgment. Then do what God has created you to do, “in accordance with the measure of faith that He has given you.”
PRAYER
Father, thank You for giving us a purpose for our lives and thank You for giving us gifts to carry out that purpose. Help us to put the gifts You’ve given us to use this week to a degree that we may have never used them before–according to the measure of faith that You’ve given us. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Question for Reflection
Read Romans 12:3-8. How have words spoken to you through others either boosted you up or pulled you down? Take those words to God and ask Him to give you His perspective on them.
By Eric Elder
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