Insecurity & Comparison

People do not love you because you are special,you are special because people love you. Cherish those around you. Do not give up impact for influence.

 Jesus told Peter of his death in John 21:21 but did not speak of the death of Paul, it can be assumed Peter was jealous and he asked,"Lord, what about him?". Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

Brethren, we are not called to compare ourselves to others. We are only commanded to love and follow Christ. This can be described in John21:15- 17 when Jesus asked Peter three times,“Do you love me?”. The lesson here is, if Peter truly loves his Master, he is to shepherd and care for those who belong to Christ. He has no business comparing himself to anyone.

Envy amounts to insecurity and competition. This is a feeling of not enough. Envy takes over when a person loses value of himself. The genesis of insecurity and comparison is an inferiority complex. You just do not look at yourself the way God looks at you, you wish you were someone else.

“Envy is ever joined with the comparing of a man’s self; and where there is no comparison, no envy.” —Sir Francis Bacon

Yet, whether we are comparing our home size, paycheck, physical features, or any number of measurable (and even unmeasurable) things, its important to understand that God calls you BELOVED, ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. He sees beauty in us but we see beauty in someone else. Comparing ourselves to others will always rob us of gratitude, joy, and fulfillment.We need to be thankful to God for the gift of life.

Insecurity births out jealousy, wickedness and anger. The psychology behind this process stems from the theory of the Viennese psychoanalyst Alfred Adler, who coined the term inferiority complex. Inferiority complex is when we only feel good about ourselves when we are equal to or better than others. The “striving for superiority.” When we do not match up, we say God has forgotten us but do you not know God cannot function is hate, He breathes LOVE and only Love. Realize life is not a competition. If you do not want God to bless others, God will not bless you.

When you compare yourself to another, your eyes leave Jesus. The insecure person tries to make others feel insecure too.They create in you self-doubts. They showcase their accomplishments. He drops the “humble brag” far too often. But he frequently complains that things aren’t good enough because he is not happy with himself.

Life sometimes can never be as perfect as you want it to but life is not about you. Its about God's gain and your purpose.We are not called to wear the latest shoes and carry the latest designer's wears, we are here to make an impact. To put smiles and leave a good impression in the hearts of people.When you put smiles on people's faces you put smiles on your face as well. We are hear to love each other and to be happy with who we are. Love brings joy but comparing yourself with others will always steal the joy and happiness.

The truth is no one has the full package. But we are unique in God. The Bible states we are part of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27) not the whole body. The Bible in; 1 Corinthians 12:21 goes on to state that an eye can not tell the hands 'I do not need you'. You need to discover your purpose and where you function in the body of Christ. When we consistently compare ourselves to others, we waste precious energy focusing on other peoples’ lives rather than our own.  Michelangelo said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing with their block of stone. The statue that they are liberating is one of their own intentions. But how well we are doing with our own block of stone is our business.

Celebrate who you are. There are many wonderful things about your life. You are an artist… or a businessman… or a mother… or a good listener… or a generous soul. You have much to celebrate and are entirely unique. Any comparison between you and another person is like comparing apples to oranges. They aren’t living your life, you are. Therefore, you should expect the results to be completely different. God does not love you more than anyone. Do not let the devil make you feel less special.

Nothing good ever comes from comparison.We were not born to live the life of anyone. No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.

Shalom!