Comparison is dangerous. And when comparison creeps into our spiritual lives, we need to remove it because it isn’t healthy. When we spend time with people who seem to have really strong faith, it can make us feel ‘less than’ and not good enough when we compare ourselves to them. Other people can seem to have it all together spiritually. They’re always prepared to serve, they have all the right words, they’re super connected to God and are willing to pray for anyone. They seem to just be so much further ahead than us. The truth is that we’re all maturing spiritually, just at different rates. There are lots of things that may affect the speed we’re maturing at, God may be taking us at a slower pace, we may have to face things that mean we mature quicker or maybe there are things in our lives we’ve got to take some time to work through before advancing. The Bible says: ‘When we were children, we…reasoned as children…But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.’ We start as a spiritual infant, then we become a spiritual child, then we become a spiritual adolescent, and eventually we become a spiritual adult. But we never ‘arrive.’ It’s a journey, and we won’t be fully spiritually mature until we reach heaven. God promises that He’ll work in us until that work is completed. ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV). So we don’t need to be comparing ourselves to others. Our spiritual journey is unique to us. So let’s focus on what God wants to do in and through us, not through everyone else.

What Now?

Next time you’re feeling inadequate spiritually compared with someone else, remember Philippians 1:6 and thank God that He’s still working in you.