ROOTED RENEGADE

Comparison is a trap that we can easily fall into if we aren’t careful. Scroll online for a few minutes and you will see ads about weight loss that show women who have six-pack abs, clear skin, beautiful hair, etc. Young girls today post more pictures online of themselves than ever before looking for loves verses likes because they are seeking worth through validation.

Comparison can trap anyone into believing they are not good enough and therefore they have to do things to be liked or loved. Some go to the extreme to try to make themselves worthy. Others turn on themselves in hatred. And some try to change their outward appearance to look like their fav celebs or influencers because they want that kind of attention. 

There is something within our hearts that tell us we are not good enough. We are not pretty enough. Tall enough. Skinny enough. Smart enough. Can’t pray like others. Can’t worship like others. Can’t preach like others. The list just keeps going.

What we miss or simply can’t see, is that comparison warps our perception on how God created us uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully. We miss that God doesn’t make anything that is. not beautiful. NOTHING.  Even satan was the most beautiful angel adorned with jewels.

And it starts out small. Just little things here and there. Someone prays with more boldness than you do. A guy has more muscle mass or a girl can run faster at school. Then it grows from there.

Why? Why is it so easy for us to fall into this trap of comparison?

I believe it is because we don’t fully see ourselves how God sees us. And because of that we don’t fully receive His love and the fact that He made us in His image. Meaning, He wanted someone that looked like me and you to be His image bearer and He didn’t want us all to look the same.

We each represent a facet of God. His creativity. His unique styles. His many colors. His character. His love.

Each one of us is a beautiful display of who God is.He smiled and His heart melted when He made us. We are the only creation that was made in His image. Not the angels. Not the flowers or animals or trees. Nope. Just us. We are truly a masterpiece from the Master Creator.

Comparison distorts our view of ourselves as well. I struggled for many years believing that if I was skinnier, prettier, worked harder, and did whatever I could to be how others were, then I would finally feel like I was loved and belonged. I had been told growing up I wasn’t wanted by people. Being adopted I would pretend sometimes that I wasn’t. And as a child who longs to be loved by their parents, comparison becomes a master. 

As I got older I struggled. Especially after coming back to Jesus. I knew I had these gifts that were from Him but I felt like I couldn’t use them right and like others. For many years I beat myself up, tried harder, pushed myself to do better, and got trapped in perfectionism, fear of man, and performance. 

But the LORD! As I write this I am aware that He does not make junk. I was no accident. Not in how He made me, what I look like, or what my body is shaped like, or anything else. I am HIS. HE is MINE.

He brought me out of the trap of comparison. And when that giant tries to rear its ugly head again, I am more equipped to deal with it. But it took work. And it took learning who He is and how He made me. 

If you are struggling with comparing yourself, there is a better way. Each day I had to tell myself that I loved me and I didn’t have to be like anyone else. That God wasn’t looking at others when He was looking at me. I have His full attention.

And I have His full love. And it took Him wooing me into reading Song of Songs with Him. Hard as it was, to read a love story so pure, every day we would sit with each other as I poured out heart and tears to Him. 

Comparison keeps us from experiencing such a pure love to its fullest. Sitting with Him, my Bridegroom King and seeing how He sees me through His Word, it broke those places in me that the giants had a hold of and they lost their grip.

It’s possible. It may take some time for you to fully see how beautiful you are to Him. But it is possible. 

I pray that when you read this, your heart is moved to sit at His feet, confess any comparison you may be struggling with, and allow Him to walk you through and to freedom.

Faythe