Comparison = Good
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Today, like most days, I sat on the front porch and just observed His creation, searching out His mysteries.
I disagree with Teddy Roosevelt, though.
Today, like most days, I sat on the front porch and just observed His creation, searching out His mysteries.
The Bible speaks of mysteries, things that are THERE but not yet revealed to us, and how those mysteries are for His children to seek out.
I don't think He looked around for a great example in nature to bring home a good spiritual point; I believe He unveiled something that had been there all along, hid... waiting to be discovered.
So, today, I observed and meditated.
Mom has two River Birch trees that I absolutely LOVE. They have the most beautiful bark that is always peeling in gorgeous patterns. It's like a constant gift unwrapping.
Both have tree limbs that droop as if bowing down. Their leaves are very similar in shape & size.
They are similar to each other because they are the same KIND... and yet they are each unique in form and height.
They were planted at the same time, in the same exact earth, received the amount of rain over the years (since they're side by side)... yet they are totally unique in several distinguishable ways.
One split very low and has two main sections, one of which leans to the left and makes Dad think about cutting it down before it falls onto his house, lol. The other is standing more straight, two main sections as well, but not leaning to one side as much as the other tree.
Now, there's another tree next to these two whose kind I don't know because it's not my favorite, lol...I didn't take time to learn its name. But it's also very pretty (I really like trees!) and it's leaves and bark are noticeably very different from the 2 River Birch trees.
I was meditating on these things and heard that famous quote by Teddy:
But is that really true?
Notice He didn't say don't compare ever - He simply said, compare like with like and be content with who you were chosen to be.
I think one of the worst things we can do in life is to compare apples to oranges. For instance, if you are an introvert, why would you compare yourself to an outgoing personality?
Or, if you are a teacher, why would you compare yourself to a preacher, pastor, or prophet?
If you are called to exhort, why would you compare yourself to one that is called to bring judgment?
1 Corinthians 12 deals so well with this exact topic:
God Himself explains, through Paul, that some are the feet of the body (hello, evangelists!) and some are the hands (looking at you, ministers of helps!).
Notice that God did not say, "Don't compare yourselves". He said in so many words, "Don't compare yourself to something you are not! Don't long to be someone you weren't created to be!"
Feet compare to feet and hands compare to hands.
In fact, I've noticed a little healthy comparison does wonders for my walk with God.
I'm a teacher. That is my function right now in the body of Christ. So, when I watch other teachers in their calling, I get excited!
Comparison of this world brings death, steals joy. Godly comparison, which is really just righteous judgment, may bring temporary sorrow but it will also work true repentance that brings deliverance to that area of your life!
Remember, you ARE trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that HE might be glorified.
"It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." Proverbs 25:2In fact, Jesus Himself used parables and examples of things in plain sight to reveal great mysteries that had been hidden since the beginning of time... nature.
I don't think He looked around for a great example in nature to bring home a good spiritual point; I believe He unveiled something that had been there all along, hid... waiting to be discovered.
So, today, I observed and meditated.
Mom has two River Birch trees that I absolutely LOVE. They have the most beautiful bark that is always peeling in gorgeous patterns. It's like a constant gift unwrapping.
Both have tree limbs that droop as if bowing down. Their leaves are very similar in shape & size.
They are similar to each other because they are the same KIND... and yet they are each unique in form and height.
They were planted at the same time, in the same exact earth, received the amount of rain over the years (since they're side by side)... yet they are totally unique in several distinguishable ways.
One split very low and has two main sections, one of which leans to the left and makes Dad think about cutting it down before it falls onto his house, lol. The other is standing more straight, two main sections as well, but not leaning to one side as much as the other tree.
Now, there's another tree next to these two whose kind I don't know because it's not my favorite, lol...I didn't take time to learn its name. But it's also very pretty (I really like trees!) and it's leaves and bark are noticeably very different from the 2 River Birch trees.
I was meditating on these things and heard that famous quote by Teddy:
"Comparison is the thief of joy."
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:12,13:
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are FREELY given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; COMPARING spiritual things with spiritual."
Notice He didn't say don't compare ever - He simply said, compare like with like and be content with who you were chosen to be.
I think one of the worst things we can do in life is to compare apples to oranges. For instance, if you are an introvert, why would you compare yourself to an outgoing personality?
Or, if you are a teacher, why would you compare yourself to a preacher, pastor, or prophet?
If you are called to exhort, why would you compare yourself to one that is called to bring judgment?
1 Corinthians 12 deals so well with this exact topic:
"If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath PLEASED HIM."
God Himself explains, through Paul, that some are the feet of the body (hello, evangelists!) and some are the hands (looking at you, ministers of helps!).
Notice that God did not say, "Don't compare yourselves". He said in so many words, "Don't compare yourself to something you are not! Don't long to be someone you weren't created to be!"
Feet compare to feet and hands compare to hands.
In fact, I've noticed a little healthy comparison does wonders for my walk with God.
I'm a teacher. That is my function right now in the body of Christ. So, when I watch other teachers in their calling, I get excited!
Sure, I hear that voice wants to take any comparison and steal my joy - but I refuse to let it!
Instead, I choose to cheer that person on for doing what we are both called & anointed to do. I choose to look for ways I can improve myself in my own call. I don't want to be identical to them, but I can sure compare and see if there are ways I can improve based on how they are doing it.
Usually.
Other times I don't ignore that voice and I begin to feel discouraged that the body doesn't need "little ole me" because "look how that teacher is KILLING it right now" (Priscilla Shirer, Christine Caine, Aunt Becky ☺).
And there you have it - I've now allowed the enemy to take something good and use it to steal my joy :/
SO, I say...comparison is not a thief of joy... comparison to the wrong person is. Or, comparison that turns to condemnation is.
And, I'll add... comparison to an older tree, or to the aspects that make us each unique... that can steal joy.
Find your kind and compare away, but with wisdom. Don't totally compare yourself to someone who has been saved 40 years longer, so they've had more time to perfect their fruit.
Use them as a bar of measure for working toward a goal of perfection, but don't examine fruit and growth even in two trees of like kind and expect them to be totally identical.
Even in the same church, under the same anointing, with the same effort, we have differences... and Jesus likes it that way. JUST LOOK AT NATURE.
But do compare and look for ways to improve: are they using that gift in ways you haven't tried out yet? Then, try it and see if it works for you like that. If it doesn't, move on. That's apparently something unique to their tree. Just don't stop trying to grow in your own gifting!
I often compare my reactions to others to judge how I'm doing in a particular area. If I have a horrible reaction to a situation, then someone comes along and reacts like Jesus would... then I have an area I can come up higher in, right?
But that only works comparing myself to a fellow Christian—because that's my KIND.
I don't, however, compare my teaching style with every Christian. I compare myself to fellow Christian *teachers*, taking note of how long they've bee doing it, how much time they've had to perfect themselves.
And yes, ultimately, I compare myself to Jesus—He's the ultimate goal of perfection!
But sometimes that means comparing to the Jesus I see in my fellow Christians. And sometimes that means going straight to the word of God and comparing myself to His ultimate and pure example.
If you find comparison leaving you discouraged, refocus your eyes on Jesus. You'll fall short mostly, or at least I do, but because the revelation (unveiling, uncovering) of Jesus also uncovers His great grace, comparing to Jesus triggers hope, not condemnation!
Not measuring up to Him always brings a measure of Godly sorrow... and
Instead, I choose to cheer that person on for doing what we are both called & anointed to do. I choose to look for ways I can improve myself in my own call. I don't want to be identical to them, but I can sure compare and see if there are ways I can improve based on how they are doing it.
Usually.
Other times I don't ignore that voice and I begin to feel discouraged that the body doesn't need "little ole me" because "look how that teacher is KILLING it right now" (Priscilla Shirer, Christine Caine, Aunt Becky ☺).
And there you have it - I've now allowed the enemy to take something good and use it to steal my joy :/
SO, I say...comparison is not a thief of joy... comparison to the wrong person is. Or, comparison that turns to condemnation is.
And, I'll add... comparison to an older tree, or to the aspects that make us each unique... that can steal joy.
Find your kind and compare away, but with wisdom. Don't totally compare yourself to someone who has been saved 40 years longer, so they've had more time to perfect their fruit.
Use them as a bar of measure for working toward a goal of perfection, but don't examine fruit and growth even in two trees of like kind and expect them to be totally identical.
Even in the same church, under the same anointing, with the same effort, we have differences... and Jesus likes it that way. JUST LOOK AT NATURE.
But do compare and look for ways to improve: are they using that gift in ways you haven't tried out yet? Then, try it and see if it works for you like that. If it doesn't, move on. That's apparently something unique to their tree. Just don't stop trying to grow in your own gifting!
I often compare my reactions to others to judge how I'm doing in a particular area. If I have a horrible reaction to a situation, then someone comes along and reacts like Jesus would... then I have an area I can come up higher in, right?
But that only works comparing myself to a fellow Christian—because that's my KIND.
I don't, however, compare my teaching style with every Christian. I compare myself to fellow Christian *teachers*, taking note of how long they've bee doing it, how much time they've had to perfect themselves.
And yes, ultimately, I compare myself to Jesus—He's the ultimate goal of perfection!
But sometimes that means comparing to the Jesus I see in my fellow Christians. And sometimes that means going straight to the word of God and comparing myself to His ultimate and pure example.
If you find comparison leaving you discouraged, refocus your eyes on Jesus. You'll fall short mostly, or at least I do, but because the revelation (unveiling, uncovering) of Jesus also uncovers His great grace, comparing to Jesus triggers hope, not condemnation!
Not measuring up to Him always brings a measure of Godly sorrow... and
"Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."
Comparison of this world brings death, steals joy. Godly comparison, which is really just righteous judgment, may bring temporary sorrow but it will also work true repentance that brings deliverance to that area of your life!
Remember, you ARE trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that HE might be glorified.
Be blessed!
Amy
#CompareApplesToApples
#UseComparisonAsAMotivationToGrow
#KeepJesusAsTheStandard
#LetsGrowUpIntoChrist
Amy
#CompareApplesToApples
#UseComparisonAsAMotivationToGrow
#KeepJesusAsTheStandard
#LetsGrowUpIntoChrist
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