“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1
I have to be honest with you. For too many years (and often still), I find myself trying to measure up to someone else’s abilities, talents, and achievements. I can get caught up in seeing what someone else has and wanting it so bad. Even though I have my God-given abilities and talents, and even the race He has laid before me, I'm often left feeling inadequate. I doubt my worth. I stay stuck. Maybe you can relate. Maybe, you have days where you feel like you're practicing a mediocre faith because you just don't feel like you measure up; and that feeling paralyzes you.
I think as women that kind of comparison can be so prevalent in our lives. We often define ourselves by how we compare ourselves to others. I’m not as pretty as she is. I’m not as fun as her. I wish I had the talent she has.
Comparison has a way of doing that. It can leave you feeling like you aren't good enough and that you're not equipped to participate in God's work. It's often the source of why you're afraid to step out in faith because you worry about what other people may think of you. It opens the door for lies to enter your mind that steal your confidence.
Comparison is the yardstick by which you compare yourself to others, and by doing so, it will quickly steal your joy and inhibit your calling.
And yet, comparison is also a fundamental part of being human. It’s something that is instilled in us. Think about it, even Eve was created because there was nothing that corresponded with Adam. In other words, the animals on the earth didn’t compare to who Adam was. He needed to be with someone like him. Even the name Adam gave Eve was rooted in who she was compared to him – woman from man.
So how can comparison be both something God innately instilled in us and something that inhibits who we’re made to be? The answer is found in who we compare ourselves to.
Scripture tells us to look to Jesus as our Author and Perfecter of our faith. He is the one whose image we are being made into. He is the yardstick for how we should measure ourselves. By striving to follow in His footsteps and meditate on His Word, we discover what holiness is and how we run closer to it.
Comparing yourself to anyone else becomes self-serving and the enemy wants nothing better than to keep you looking inward and staying focused on yourself. In doing so, he has a clever way of not only making you doubt your self-worth but also looking to others to try to find it.
By keeping your focus on Jesus, you begin to see your worth and who you are in light of Him. Because who you are and, who you are made to be, was never meant to measure up to human standards. You are created in the likeness of God and you are destined to grow into the very image of His Son.
So, when it comes to the race that God has prepared for each of us, there’s a starting place for everyone. It’s not who is more important or has better talents than whom. No, God doesn’t compare what He creates. There is level ground at the foot of the cross.
Each of us has uniquely designed talents, abilities, and personalities that were created to fulfill His purposes in each of our tiny corners of the world. The race that lies before you was created just for you.
So, choose today to lay aside every hindrance that so easily ensnares you, not turning to how fast or well others are running their race but keeping your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith. How amazing that God has called each of us to run a race for Him!
So, praise Him for your today, and don’t worry if your today looks different than someone else’s. Let God work in you in this moment.
-Brittany