Comparatively Speaking
In my personal study early this week, I read about the tongue and what our speech reveals about our hearts:
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
— Luke 6:45 ESV
Later in the week:
That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse.
— Galatians 5:25 MSG
And then I conversed with a woman who has recently launched a non-profit organization and is seeing God at work in and through her ministry; it is bearing much fruit. I genuinely rejoice with her at God’s blessing; I thrill in the knowledge that lives are being changed in most tangible ways as a result of her obedience.
She happened to recount the number of ‘likes’ the organization has on Facebook. Like a geyser out of my mouth came the words, “You’ve far surpassed me.”
The two verses collided for a whallop of conviction.
There was nothing insincere about her sharing; I know she finds those kinds of ‘numbers’ immaterial to doing God’s work. When all is said and done, I share her perspective. But my words revealed my heart’s sin of comparison, which led me further down the twisted path of depravity to envy.
Here, before you, I confess my desire to know, through some quantifiable means, that my ministry matters. I consider it sin because the only worthy measure of any ministry is the Lord’s pleasure. While that little box to the right on your screen tallies human approval, I must concern myself with only His.
While I’ve asked God to grant me small glimpses into the ways He might use me through speaking and writing, I’m committing today to view every Facebook ‘like’ as an accountability partner, another friend spurring me on to please and honor Him and Him alone.
How about you? Are you sinning in comparison?
Are you seeking the approval of God or man?
Know that your Lord is gracious and quick to forgive.
You are most certainly not alone.
Find other writers with similar vulnerability in their writing here.
Kirsten, thank you for sharing your heart with us as you do. Your posts are always wonderful and insightful and amaze me. I am always awed (touched with jealousy?) at your depth and eloquence and how you make me think about things in a new way. Keep doing what you are doing. And yes, I suffer from the sin of comparison too, although as I get older and more secure in my position with God the earthly comparisons don’t happen as much… 🙂 Except my running :-).
Kirsten, thank you for sharing your heart with us as you do. Your posts are always wonderful and insightful and amaze me. I am always awed (touched with jealousy?) at your depth and eloquence and how you make me think about things in a new way. Keep doing what you are doing. And yes, I suffer from the sin of comparison too, although as I get older and more secure in my position with God the earthly comparisons don’t happen as much… 🙂 Except my running :-).
Kirsten, thank you for sharing your heart with us as you do. Your posts are always wonderful and insightful and amaze me. I am always awed (touched with jealousy?) at your depth and eloquence and how you make me think about things in a new way. Keep doing what you are doing. And yes, I suffer from the sin of comparison too, although as I get older and more secure in my position with God the earthly comparisons don’t happen as much… 🙂 Except my running :-).
Kirsten, I resonated with your post so much…I suffer greatly from this comparison problem, and the related problem of trying to evaluate what I should be doing for God based on what everyone else is doing…my head knows this is not right thinking, but I can’t seem to stop sometimes. So consider this a like for your writing ministry…I always look forward to your posts and your thoughtful vulnerability.
Kirsten, I resonated with your post so much…I suffer greatly from this comparison problem, and the related problem of trying to evaluate what I should be doing for God based on what everyone else is doing…my head knows this is not right thinking, but I can’t seem to stop sometimes. So consider this a like for your writing ministry…I always look forward to your posts and your thoughtful vulnerability.
Kirsten, I resonated with your post so much…I suffer greatly from this comparison problem, and the related problem of trying to evaluate what I should be doing for God based on what everyone else is doing…my head knows this is not right thinking, but I can’t seem to stop sometimes. So consider this a like for your writing ministry…I always look forward to your posts and your thoughtful vulnerability.
“liking” God’s work being done, and so full of truth, humility & grace…keep it up, soul sister!
“liking” God’s work being done, and so full of truth, humility & grace…keep it up, soul sister!
I have always told people if my ministry becomes about me than I will walk away. I say it out loud so that others can hold me accountable and so that I hear myself and hold myself accountable. I think God is so good that sometimes a slip of the tongue can be a blessing and release to conviction so we can notice where we are lacking, and God gets the glory
I have always told people if my ministry becomes about me than I will walk away. I say it out loud so that others can hold me accountable and so that I hear myself and hold myself accountable. I think God is so good that sometimes a slip of the tongue can be a blessing and release to conviction so we can notice where we are lacking, and God gets the glory
I have always told people if my ministry becomes about me than I will walk away. I say it out loud so that others can hold me accountable and so that I hear myself and hold myself accountable. I think God is so good that sometimes a slip of the tongue can be a blessing and release to conviction so we can notice where we are lacking, and God gets the glory