It is all too easy to look around and compare ourselves to others, isn't it? It’s in our nature to want to know how we stack up with the “competition.” And if we’re really honest, we’ll even admit that we get a sense of satisfaction when we think we’re doing better (at whatever) than someone else. We compare everything from hair styles, clothing, and accessories to parenting decisions over breast or bottle-feeding, homeschool or public school, as well as careers, social status, and more. But we also fall prey to this sin of comparison (yes, it’s a sin!) when it comes to God’s call on our life.
I can’t imagine there is a single one of us that hasn’t felt inadequate to fulfill a Spirit-led task or calling that was set before us. That is exactly why it is Spirit-led – because we cannot do it without him. Our need for the Spirit’s enabling power drives us deeper into a relationship of trust with our Savior and Redeemer.
Jesus said to [Peter], “If it is my will that [John] remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” - John 21:22
The good news of Jesus’ response to Peter is that you don’t need to worry about the next guy (or gal). God isn’t measuring your success by whether you are more or less effective than someone else. Your success comes from the simple, yet life-altering, command: “Follow me.”
One of the fun things I learned while in Cambodia is this quirky little common phrase: "Same same but different." It’s fun because it can be used for almost anything. If I’m eating the popular Cambodian fruit of mangosteen and you are eating the equally popular dragon fruit, we can say it’s “same same but different.” There are two items of fruit (same same), but they are different because it’s not the same kind of fruit. Get it? My sweet Christian Cambodian friends have this right when it comes to people, too. They recognize and value that we are all the same…and we’re all different.
This is the kind of unity the Father longs to see among his children. Some of us may have a very specific calling in life, such as ministering to troubled teens through equine therapy. That’s pretty specific. Others may find God’s will for them is a little broader, such as volunteering in various ways in the local community to be a light of God’s love to whomever they meet. The most important thing is to know your spiritual gifts and then begin to exercise them in the strength of the Spirit.
Recognizing that my [Paul's] calling had been given by God, James, Peter, and John—the pillars of the church—shook hands with me and Barnabas, assigning us to a ministry to the non-Jews, while they continued to be responsible for reaching out to the Jews. - Galatians 2:9
I think John and Peter learned this lesson well…and that is what enabled them to see without a doubt that God was working in Paul in ways that my beloved Cambodian sisters would say was “same same but different” from the way God was working in Peter. Both men were following Jesus on the path he had chosen for them. So let’s stop the sinful comparisons that land us right where Satan wants us – in a state of ineffective depression or pride – and let’s answer the personal call of Jesus with great passion and joy!
Fill in your name…Jesus is talking to YOU. _______, follow me!
Adapted from my 6-week study on Galatians, In Step with the Spirit.
