The Burden of Better: Living a Comparison-Free LifeSample

There I stood in a worship service, hidden on the balcony. While singing the words to a chorus I’d known since childhood, I analyzed the singer’s every feature.

“God, you’re so good.”

Are her legs thinner than mine? They might be. Is she wearing heels? That would make them look thinner, that and the dark denim. That’s a cute sweater she’s wearing. She looks better than I do.

“God, you’re so good.”

She has such an incredible voice. I wish I was a better singer. Why didn’t I take voice lessons? Then I could have been a worship leader. She’s so in tune with Jesus. I bet she never struggles like I do.

“God, you’re so good. You’re so good to me.”

As I belted out the song's last line, conviction overwhelmed me. While singing about God’s goodness—to me—I was comparing myself to another woman, sizing her up. At church, nonetheless! I’d measured myself against her from every angle—using fictional rulers I’d constructed to assess my value. Why do I constantly compare myself to others? Did I truly believe God was good to me? These are the questions I’ve wrestled with for years on my journey to finding freedom from comparison.

Do you ever find yourself lost in comparison’s labyrinth? See if any of this sounds familiar:

• Do you chase the “ers?” Start with better, for example then add—happier, healthier, thinner, stronger, nicer, wealthier, or smarter.
• Do you mentally keep a list of goals that promise they’ll take your life from drab to fab if you reach them?
• Do you look at old pictures and compare yourself to the “you” that you used to be?
• Do you look at images of others and compare yourself to the “you” that you long to be?
• Do you know in your head that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others but struggle to stop your heart from doing it?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then we have a lot in common. But carrying that burden of better weighs us down. We're bogged down by pressures we were never meant to carry. Let’s journey through scripture to discover how God wants to free us from culture’s definition of better and bless us with his.