Ever been looking through people’s social media posts and found yourself comparing yourself to others? Or been sat with a group of friends and wondered whether your life is as good as theirs? When we’re insecure in our identity, we can find ourselves looking at others to see if we measure up. But the Bible says: ‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ That means we’re all supposed to be different. God made us all uniquely. He has given us different gifts and skills. The Bible describes this as a body (you can read about it in 1 Corinthians 12). The body has different parts – eyes, ears, arms, legs – and it’s the same with the body of Christ. There are people who can teach, lead, prophecy, encourage – and they’re all needed in God’s kingdom. We can’t all be skilled in one area because that would mean that nothing else would get done. So when someone else does something that we struggle to do, we can thank God that He gave them that gift, rather than comparing ourselves to them and feeling bad. When we work on becoming secure in who we are in Christ, everything else will begin to fall into place. But comparison doesn’t always make us feel bad; sometimes we can compare to make ourselves feel better. We see what we can do that others can’t, or think we’re above others because we don’t do what they do. But the Bible says, ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves’ (Philippians 2:3 NIV). So let’s stop comparing, and start accepting the identity that God’s given us.

What Now?

Choose to compliment rather than compare. Every time you feel bad about yourself, remind yourself about something you’re good at. Every time you’re tempted to think you’re better than someone else, compliment them instead.