I look at his shoes…
her hair…
his car…
her job…
his height…
their house…
their money.
Then I look in the mirror. And I compare.

If you are like me, you can easily get caught in the deadly act of comparison. Looking at what someone is, has, or does and then looking at my own self to see how things measure up. It is something I have done since I was a child, and too often the comparison did not fall in my favor. Feelings of not being athletic enough, smart enough, spiritual enough, funny enough, or looking good enough seemed overwhelming. The result often left me feeling as if I somehow had failed.

As an adult I still struggle with comparing myself to others. It happened this past weekend. Our church hosted a fall festival to reach out to families in our surrounding area. It was our first time to do this, and even though we faced a few hurdles, we ended up with many new families coming from the community. It was very successful and I was so proud of our team as they shared the love of Jesus. We walked away excited about what God had done.

I felt really good until I looked at social media. Yes, social media…the breeding ground for harmful comparisons. I started looking at a few other churches pastored by my friends. The results from their outreaches surpassed what we had been able to accomplish. By the act of comparison, I allowed the pleasure and joy of the night to be stolen. What started as a feeling of success, ended quickly with the feeling of defeat. Even though we reached new families for Christ, I did not get “as many” as other churches. I didn’t measure up! Instead of being excited about what God had done, I became jealous and critical. Was it wrong? Yes. Was it petty? Yes. But the feelings were still very real.

In the Bible, we read that Asaph had a similar reaction. It wasn’t because of a fall church event, but his emotions were the same. He wrote, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3). Asaph saw that evil people seemed to do very well. They were happy, healthy, and wealthy. “Their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish” (Psalm 73:7). The wicked seemed to have everything while Asaph seemed to have very little.

At one point Asaph writes, “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me…” (Psalm 73:16). The emotions were too raw and hurtful. His comparisons had caused him to become critical…to find fault with others and eventually to find fault with God. When we start finding fault with God, we become cynical. The definition of cynical is “non-believing, doubtful.” Asaph doubted God when he wrote, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning” (Psalm 73:13-14). He wondered, “What was the point in serving God if all the blessings go to other folks?” This is where the act of comparing, if left unchecked, will eventually lead us. If I continue to compare myself to others, I will become critical. If I continue to be critical, I will become cynical.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It really is! Comparison robs us of our contentment and steals our peace. It causes us to become isolated and resentful. It is a deadly act that goes all the way back to Lucifer’s fall.

But, it can be overcome…