Stop comparing yourself to others.
Use the gifts and abilities God has given you!
At the end of this life, God isn’t going to ask how you did compare to anybody else. He’s only going to ask what did you do with what he gave you?
What are you doing with your gifts? Blessings? Abilities? Time? Money? Words? Hands? Feet? Mind?
Think about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Three different men have three different gifts. But one man didn’t use his gift at all. Instead, he hid it away and it had no impact on the world around him. This man is punished for doing nothing with what has been given.
Use your gifts wisely
First, through this story, we learn that God directs us to use our gifts wisely. The men are given different “talents”. Each of us is created differently with different gifts and abilities. I mean I like to ride my bike but I’m no Danny MacAskill. I also love music, but I am not gifted like Stevie Wonder is gifted, who despite being blind and born into poverty learned how to write music, sing, and play 4 different instruments by age 12.
Take action
Second, comparing ourselves to others tends to get us stuck in comparison. You need to stop comparing yourself and instead take action. DO SOMETHING with the gifts you have.
We cannot simply bury or put on the backburner indefinitely what we have. Every seed needs to be taken care of with proper water, sunlight, temperature, and nutrients. Farmers still have to tend to the crops. And as anyone who has ever forgotten about a pot on a stove can attest to, you cannot leave something indefinitely on the backburner because either the contents will burn or the pan will burn.
Take advantage of the opportunities you have and use the blessings you have to benefit others or bring glory back to God.
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:3-8, NIV
We are all part of the same team
The third thought on why you should stop comparing yourself is that we are all part of the same body, i.e. on the same team. Be honest with yourself about what your gifts and abilities are and are not. We are all given different gifts and if you are not using your gifts then something is missing from this world.
As Christians, we are to be operating as one mind and body fulfilling the functions of God’s love here on earth. Some of us are very different just as some parts of the body are very different from one another (toe and ear). Some of us are more similar just as parts of the body are similar (fingers, toes, hands, feet).
Our bodies can sometimes function without a part here or there, but we are not performing at our full potential if all of the parts are not working together for the good of the whole.
Amazing things are happening inside our bodies without us even seeing it and amazing things are happening in our world around us also without us seeing it or the people behind the scenes making it happen.
Use what you’ve got and make the most of each day.
You are here for a reason!
You have a purpose!
Check out Why Gratitude is Essential.
