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Comparing Draft Boards

When teams make their NFL Draft selections, they rely heavily on their “draft board.”

Team employees collaborate to organize and list the players they want to draft. They give a grade or ranking to help decide when they select a particular player.

Every NFL team has a different “draft board” based on their particular perspectives, research, and scouting. Each team uniquely values players, and there can be a large spectrum of how scouts project a player to the next level.

While teams should be looking at their own “draft board,” they might be tempted to compare theirs to other teams.

As we parallel this to our own lives, we know how we can compare ourselves to other people. We often wonder what other people are doing and try to look over at their “draft board” to see how ours stacks up.

This leads us to jealousy about what other people have that we don’t. The reality is, however, that we have our own “draft board,” which means our own calling, gifts, and resources that we’re responsible for stewarding.

We are held accountable for our own “draft picks,” and must stick to the plan that God has laid out for our lives.

Galatians 6:4-5 tells us, “But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another. For every person will have to bear [with patience] his own burden [of faults and shortcomings for which he alone is responsible].”

We are all on an individual journey that God has uniquely designed for us, and we should remain focused on God’s will for us without getting caught up in comparison. After all, as followers of Jesus, we’ve been created and called for His purposes, and we’re united in serving one another with our different spiritual gifts.

Today, let’s stick to our own unique “draft board” and be thankful for whatever we’ve been given. Let’s trust God to lead us as we keep our focus from comparison.

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the unique blessings and gifts You’ve given me. Please help me to remain focused on what You’ve called me to do. Please fill me with gratitude instead of discouragement. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.