Slaying the Lion....of Comparison

*From time to time, I will add blog posts that would have been chapters in the book*

I've always wanted to be apart of the "in" crowd. I've wanted to go viral. I wanted people to see a post that I make, or a FB live video and think

"Wow, he's so profound. Let me share this immediately."

Alas, my most viewed live video has only been 150 views. Posts that I make aren't necessarily shared or spark conversations that raise my image. Recently I was even talking to my wife about this very thing. We have this thing that we call being H.O.T. with one another. That stands for Honest, Open, and Transparent/ Truthful. It is a process that we gleaned from listening to Pastor Michael Todd at Transformation Church, and it is something that has really helped our communication. She knows that when I don't communicate, it affects in inwardly, which manifests outwardly as well.

So can we have a HOT moment? You and I?

But in this conversation, I was confessing to her that it boggles my mind that my posts don't seem to get the support that other peoples' posts do. I bemoaned how I could post the exact same thing that another posts and mine would be virtually ignored. It was a pity party, sure, but there was also some truth to be found in the conversation. I mean, I'm relatively smart. I'm pretty talented, at least I think so. So why won't people pay attention to me? Why do they pay attention to everyone else?

I have always struggled with seeing myself through God's eyes, rather seeing myself through what I lack in regards to others. I have never felt like I measured up. I'm almost 40, and I'm not a Pastor. I'm not a hundred-thousandaire, much less a millionaire. Nothing that I desired for my life has come true, aside from my beautiful family, and while that should be enough, I struggle when I see others with the very things that I've always dreamed about. (You said that I could be HOT.)

And therein lies the problem.

Continuing with the metaphor of the lion (grab the book and you'll know what I mean), comparison is a thief and a murderer. It steals our attention away from what God is doing within us and places it on what we perceive He is doing within everyone else. In doing that, God becomes nothing more than a bit player in the story that HE is writing for us. The more we pay attention to others, the less we notice God at work within us. Comparison is a murderer because it destroys the hope that we might be special to anyone, including God. That, my friends, is dangerous, because we all want to know that someone values us, and sees us for everything that we have within us. While people might see glimpses of our potential, only God knows what is inside of us, because he placed it there before the beginning of our lives.

In this social media-driven world, likes, shares, and comments are the gods of society. As an author, I have been relying on friends and family to spread the word about my book, especially living in a new city and state. While I hate self promotion, a huge part of selling a book is just that very thing. Yet, I have to constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY remind myself that I'm in competition only with the person I was yesterday, last year, and years ago, not any other author, any other Pastor, or any other Christian. My lane is my lane to travel. God's will for me, is mine only. And if I spend my time allowing the lion of comparison to roar and swipe heavy paws at me, the injuries I take are my fault. The wounds I incur are my fault. The pain I inherit is on me, because I took my eye off of the Savior.

In a word, it doesn't matter what anybody else has that I think I want for my life. What matters, and my joy, should come from the God who has provided just what I needed to do just what He needs me to do in this world. That is what counts. That is what matters.

If you are like me, or have been in any sense, I'd like to pray for you right now, because I believe that this spirit of comparison is running rampant throughout the body of Christ right now, and it is hindering what we do, what we believe, and the blessings we are able to reap and sow into the lives of others.

God,

I pray right now for the person who reads this who happens to be dealing with this spirit of comparison. We know that it is not of You. It is not your will for our lives. So I pray God, that You would remind us who we are in Your eyes, with a special emphasis that your thoughts reward us are the only thoughts that should have weight...even before our own. I pray that freedom would come to the hearts who willingly give up the burden of comparing themselves to others. Allow us to become so consumed by You that we have no time, energy, or the desire to look in anyone else's direction except to bless them. Thank You for Your renewing work, Father.

Amen.