melt away. But then, out of the corner
of my eye, I saw something speed past
me, the fastest kid ever. I spoke to my
arms and legs, summoning them to new
levels of performance. I gave that race
all that I had, but it was not enough.
For the first time in my young life, I was
second. Embarrassed and ashamed, I
went home in tears. Soon after that, I
lost interest in athletics. Baffled, my
parents tried to talk with me about
what had happened. But how could an
eight-year-old articulate the feeling of
an ancient and primal force taking hold
of his still-developing soul?
Comparison and the Soul
Comparison is the root of most of the
misery we feel in life. Comparison
makes it impossible to view ourselves
from any sort of godly perspective.
It is an absolute snare for the soul.
Consider what comparison does to our
view of others. First, when we compare
ourselves with those we perceive to be
better than we are in any given area of
life, the comparison produces a sense
of inferiority and insecurity. Whenever
we see those people, they become
reminders that we don’t have what it
takes and are falling behind. We feel we
must toil and strive to keep up. Yet the
harder we try to do that, the more we’re
caught in a cycle of despair. Comparison
erodes our sense of worth and self-
esteem. And it has a flip side. When
we compare ourselves with people we
perceive to be inferior to us, we are filled
with a sense of superiority. The people
around us become constant reminders
of how good we are and how well we
are doing, and judgment and pride
creep in. Those controlled by forces of
comparison have unstable and insecure
souls.
“
Comparison makes
it impossible to view
ourselves from any sort
of godly perspective.”
Comparison and Community
Comparison not only creates an ulcer
in the source of our self-worth but also
makes it impossible for us to love deeply
in community. As followers of Jesus,
we are called to lives of sacrificial
love, but it’s impossible to give our
hearts and lives away to those whom
we must better in order to determine
our worth. Comparison is the enemy of
compassion.
In James 3 we read about the
consequences that are unleashed when
we use others for our own security.
“If you harbor bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast
about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’
does not come down from heaven
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
For where you have envy and selfish
ambition, there you find disorder and
every evil practice.” Have you ever
experienced the shock of discovering
this at church? Expecting to find love,
you find people treating others as
commodities, manipulating and using
them to feel good about themselves.
Solutions • 45