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.