Comparing Ourselves with Others... and Putting People on Pedestals

"Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else..." -Galatians 6:4

I've been thinking lately about comparing. It says in the book of James that we are not to show partiality toward others, because God is not partial. He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt 5:45). God is also not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), but that all should come to repentance, i.e. salvation is available to all, not just the rich, not just the poor, not just Americans, etc. So basically, what I'm getting at is, God does not show partiality... in other words, he does not show favoritism. Another example: 1 Samuel 16:7b - "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” So God is not concerned, like we humans are, with what we look like, or social status, our marital status, whether we are healthy or unhealthy... whether we have a good reputation, or a bad reputation... the LORD looks at the heart, period!

So in light of all this... why do we still compare ourselves with others? Why do we still look at others and envy them, or something they have (i.e. a better job, nicer looking clothes, better car, etc - or what seems better in our eyes, because God alone knows!) Or why do we look at others and think, "That person has it all together; if only I were like them, I would be happy"?

Or, on the opposite side of the coin, why do we look down on others, and think we are better, or are in a better position, etc? Only the LORD knows the heart of that person. Who are we to judge or look down on them?

I've also been thinking... Comparing oneself to another person, and either envying that person, or elevating oneself above that person in our own minds... is not loving them. If you envy someone, and put them on a pedestal, and imagine that they have everything "together", how can you love them? Or if you imagine you are higher or better off than another, how can you love them? You can't. When we think this way, we are not thinking with God's Kingdom in mind. This is a worldly way of thinking.

Instead, we should not even consider ourselves or compare ourselves with another. As Paul said, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." -1 Corinthians 4:3-5. What Paul is saying here is that he does not even judge himself - He leaves that for God to do at the appointed time. So, Paul will not compare himself with another in either a favorable or an unfavorable way, because only God is fit to judge our hearts.

I am writing this to remind and admonish myself as much as anyone else. It is the work of the devil to get our focus off the Kingdom of God and onto ourselves. It is not Kingdom-minded to be envious or jealous of others, or to degrade them or think of them as less than we are. Instead, we are to be servants, and think of others first, because it says in the Word, "Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." -1 Corinthians 10:24. If we envy others, we will be too busy wanting to be like them, or have what they have, to be concerned for meeting their needs and seeking their good... or to be glad for them when they succeed, and rejoice with them when things go well for them.

I think it is also important to remember that we do not really know what others are going through, so it is not right or fair to put them on a pedestal. It's easy to elevate teachers or godly friends we admire, and think that they either "can do no wrong" or "have it all figured out"... as if that person doesn't have skeletons in their closet or their own personal temptations that the LORD is helping them navigate. How can look deeply enough for a person's brokenness, or see where they need encouragement or prayer, if that person is elevated too high, up on a pedestal? Eventually, they will come crashing down. People do not want to be put on a pedestal, as if they are blameless; they want to be loved and accepted in spite of their imperfections. As it says in the Galatians, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:2). We can only carry another's burdens when we realize they are not perfect and do indeed struggle against the flesh and problems of the world, just as we do.

I will end with a final thought, stemming from Romans 12:3-5 (Paul speaking):
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

Often we compare ourselves to others and decide that either A) others are more valuable to the Body of Christ, and we are not needed, or not as important; or B) others are not as valuable to the Body of Christ, and we are more needed, or more important. This is what Paul is refuting in this passage. Some members are "on display", i.e. seen and noticed by the outside world more than the others. Yet these members are not more valuable or more important or more necessary than the others. Just as a body needs all its parts to function, so the Body of Christ (the Church) needs every individual God has created.... there is a purpose for why He made you and He has a plan to use you for His Kingdom, to bring others to salvation through Jesus.

Never in the Bible does Jesus compare one disciple to another and say, "Peter, you should be more like John," or, "John, you should be more like Andrew." No, He loved them all, and taught and admonished them all equally. So it is with us. Anyone who asks of the Lord will receive eternal life. If God is not partial, and does not show favoritism, neither should we.

So, to sum up, God loves us all, and made us all uniquely, and He alone knows our hearts. As Christians, let's stop judging each other either way. Let's stop comparing ourselves against one another. Let's just love each other, encourage each other, and build each other up! Jesus' will for the church is that we would be unified.

True Life: Memories Hold the Key to the Future

"Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do. " — Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place)

I really love Corrie ten Boom! I'm so glad I'll get to meet her in heaven someday, and I'm so excited for that moment! Her life and legacy really inspire me to keep on praying and witnessing to my friends and family who still need to know Jesus. And to persevere through whatever hard times will be ahead, no matter what.

This quote is so interesting, too...

There have been so many times in my life when something happened that just didn't make sense. God took me out of a job I loved, or He took away a loved one, or He took away a relationship, and I found myself asking, "Why, Lord? What was that all about? What was the point of that, anyway?" I know we've all found ourselves in similar situations. Many of the events of this life just don't make sense to us in the moment. The way the world operates as a whole actually makes little sense to me. Why is there so much injustice? Why is there so much sufferering and poverty? If God is holy and loving, why does He not eliminate these things?

Yet God has a bigger plan... If a timeline were drawn out showing the beginning of creation, up until the very last day... God would be over it all ... and is over all. He sees the beginning, middle, and end, all at once... and more and more I am seeing that the strange and even seemingly unfair events that occur in our lives really are the preparation for the work He has for us in the future. That's precisely why they don't make sense now. They are like puzzle pieces, and it's not until our lives are complete (i.e., the puzzle is finished) that it all comes together and makes sense.

It really comforts me to know, though, that even though God is above all and knows His perfect plan, He still draws near to us in our sorrows, in our confusion, and in the midst of our desparate "Why's". It comforts me to know that when Lazarus died, Jesus wept -- even though He knew that He was about to raise his friend from the dead. He mourned with his friends. As a man Himself, he could sit in that pain and sorrow and just let it sink in for awhile.

Another verse that's coming to mind is one of the Beatitudes: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) and this one: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4).

I know that even though God is holy and high above us, and His thoughts are higher than ours, and His plan is greater... He still mourns with us and is grieved when we are confused, hurt, disappointed, or disillusioned with the events of this life, and the fact that sometimes the things that happen appear to make no sense whatsoever. Why else would David say, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8)

Perhaps at the end of your life, all the puzzle pieces will have come together, yet still not everything will make sense. Then, I suppose that in eternity with God, your questions will finally all be answered.

Or perhaps, in the light of His glory and the splendor of everything He has prepared for us, in the presence of Jesus the Lamb, and all our friends and family who have gone before us..... Perhaps then, the questions and confusion of this life will no longer matter....

Perhaps it will be a faint memory, in light of the joy set before us.... the unending joy of dwelling forever in the presence of a Holy and Righteous God, where there will be no more sorrow, no more tears, no more death....

Just endless joy and peace and mercy and love.

That makes me want to say... "Come, Lord Jesus!"