This month, I have rounded up advice from 9 different Christian bloggers, myself included, on how to conquer comparison. It is described as a game and as a trap because it has no winners. It is also described as a thief because it steals the joy of those the enemy tricks into indulging in it. If you have spent any significant time on social media, that most likely includes you and everyone else who has, myself included.
For me, I have often felt so behind in life. Friends from college got married and started families while I continued to remain single. I asked God, “What about me?” Then I ended up in sunny California and suddenly the shoe was on the other foot. It taught me that God may have a different plan for us than we do, and that we should trust that His is always better.
The Bible teaches us that when we measure ourselves by others and compare ourselves to others, we are without understanding (2 Corinthians 10:12 ESV). The world has its way of doing things and we are inundated by those ways every waking hour. It is our responsibility to spend time reading God’s Word so that we can learn how we really are supposed to live.
Read the whole Bible. The context that you gain from having done so is invaluable. With help from the Holy Spirit you will be able to discern for yourself what is true and what isn’t, such as how you should see yourself. Do not let the comparison trap blind you to your own beauty. You are God’s creative masterpiece and that is how you should value yourself.
Do not let the comparison trap prevent you from learning your true worth. You are already loved and accepted by the only One who matters: God. Believe that He sees you as His daughter and that makes you royalty. It is a blessing to be chosen and set apart.
How To Overcome Comparison
If you’re struggling with comparison, you’re not alone. Author and blogger Erin Elise Kiu struggled a lot with comparison when she was single, and she would get frustrated with God when she compared her singleness to other couples. But how do you get out of the comparison trap? How can you be happy for what God is doing in your friend’s lives as you wait for God to answer your prayers? In How to Stop Comparison from the Fun & Holy Blog, Erin Elise Kiu shares 5 practical ways to get out of the comparison trap, including the #1 way to stop comparison in the moment.
And if you struggle with comparison and jealousy, you are also not alone. Find encouragement, a Bible verse, and practical ways to fight feelings of jealousy and comparison in How to Stop Comparison and Overcome Jealousy from Faithfully Planted.
In How to Stop Playing the Comparison Game from Sarah K. Butterfield, Sarah shares a cautionary tale of what happened when she compared herself to her next door neighbor. In this story, she shares what she learned from playing the comparison game and invites other women to extend grace instead of judgment to themselves and to others.
One of the quickest ways to lose your joy is to compare yourself to others. Many times we focus on the things we don’t have, and we fail to realize how blessed we truly are. God doesn’t want you to compare your life to others. Your talents, your calling, your personality, your future, and your present- are all unique to you. You must follow Jesus, eyes on Him. That’s what matters. How can you fight comparison and be content with what God has for you right now? Get into God’s Word and find out with Lori Beth Turner in her YouTube video Comparison and Contentment.
The Dangers of Comparison
We all know comparison is unhealthy, yet we all do it. Nothing else kills self-esteem quite like it. Read on for why this is and for a few encouraging reminders for the next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else in How Comparison Kills Self-Esteem from His Sparrow Blog.
In Don’t Get Caught in the Mom Comparison Trap from Families with Grace, we learn that getting caught in the mom comparison trap never goes well. Whenever we compare ourselves to other moms, we often come up short. We are judging their mom abilities at their best against our mom abilities at our worst. Instead, we need to focus on how we love our kids and meet their needs.
We should embrace being who God made us to be and celebrate that!
The Antidote
“The comparison game has trapped us all at one time or the other. It is not a new game, it’s been around for quite a while! The comparison game makes its appearance in the first book of the Bible. Genesis is filled with a number of players—Cain gets caught up in comparing his sacrifice to his brother’s, and Sara becomes jealous and bitter as she compares her infertility to that of Hagar’s ability to bare children. Leah names her sons with meanings that reveal the struggle she had as she compared Jacob’s affection for her to that of Rachel. And then there are Joseph’s brothers…” Read more in Compare or Be Content from Instaencouragements.
Whether you are single, newly married, or raising a large family, each stage of life comes with its unique challenges and blessings. The Lord has given all of us different parts to play in His plan. Instead of comparing ourselves, let us encourage one another and grow in the likeness of Christ. Read more in Comparison and Contentment from Dear Christian Sister.
Comparison can be useful when you make the person you are comparing yourself to a role model, and learn and grow from their example of Godly living. What have been your struggles with comparison? What are your tips for overcoming them? Please feel free to comment below.
Until next time, beauties… 🤗💖
