Keeping Up: Comparison

Introduction

Hey everyone, it’s so great to have you all here. We are 2 weeks away from Easter! Can you believe it??

So tonight, we are talking about comparison. Everyone compares. If you told me that you never compare yourself to others, I would say that you’re lying because everyone does it. Advertising companies compare their products to similar ones on a regular basis, parents compare siblings’ rooms for cleanliness (my room was always way cleaner than my sister’s just for the record…), parents compare the success of their children.

We compare ourselves to one another in almost every aspect of our lives – Beauty, athleticism, academics, wealth, talent, height, weight, etc. It takes a healthy dose of confidence to merely get through a day of life without feeling that, in some way, we aren’t measuring up. Add in the opinions of others and it might seem like we are destined for disappointment in what we have and who we are.

Paul’s 2nd Missionary Journey to Corinth

The book of 2 Corinthians is a letter of reconciliation between the Apostle Paul and the church in Corinth. Sometime between his first letter and this one, Paul had made another visit that didn’t go very well. It was a “painful visit” (). The Corinthians had rejected Paul and instead embraced, as he sarcastically called them, the “super-apostles ().

Paul was poor, suffering, and not a very good speaker – a sharp contrast and difference to the seemingly rich, successful, and poised preachers around town. Paul was a struggling missionary, while the leaders that the Corinthians embraced were nothing more than sketchy televangelists who were performing for profit ( ).

In this chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul is defending his ministry and reminding the church that God does not measure the success of His people using the world’s measuring stick. The theme of this letter is that God chooses to use the weak to show His power in the world; this demonstrated by Paul’s own experience that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” ().

Paul aggressively calls the hearers out for “judging by appearances” (). The Corinthians have been judging how spiritually successful a person is, using a distorted values system. It’s silly to base our opinion of someone on how much they brag about their greatness (v. 12).

Instead, our boasting should be in God alone (v. 17), because He deserves to be boasted about and celebrated. It is only by His power that anything of spiritual significance is accomplished.

Self-Confidence

We shouldn’t let our self-confidence, or how highly we think of ourselves, we affected by how much better or worse we are than someone else. Our personal value should be grounded in God’s approval of us through Jesus (v. 18).

When it comes to comparing ourselves to others, it helps us to form our identities. Comparison can be a positive thing, as it can help to spur us and motivate us towards self-improvement. However, studies have shown that people who frequently make social comparisons “were more likely to experience envy, guilt, regret, and defensiveness, and to lie, blame others, and to have unmet cravings”[1]

When we are constantly comparing ourselves to others and trying to keep up with people, all we are doing is setting ourselves up for failure. Social media doesn’t help with this! It’s so easy to find people on social media, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to compare ourselves to. And honestly all it does is make us feel down that we are not them.

So to counter that, spending time with others face-to-face, focusing on your personal strengths, and practicing gratitude: being happy with you and what you have, you could be so much happier. When you try to change who you are to fit in, what you’re doing is saying that God made didn’t make you exactly the way that He wants you to be. You are saying that you have a better idea and picture of who you should be and how you should be than God does.

[1] Judith B. White, Ellen J. Langer, Leeat Yariv, and John C. Welch IV, “Frequent Social Comparisons,” Journal of Adult Development 13, no. 1, June 14, 2006 36-44, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10804-006-9005-0). For the av

[1] Judith B. White, Ellen J. Langer, Leeat Yariv, and John C. Welch IV, “Frequent Social Comparisons,” Journal of Adult Development 13, no. 1, June 14, 2006 36-44, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10804-006-9005-0). For the av

Cheerleader

A few years ago, the song “Cheerleader” by OMI, was really popular. One of the lines from the song goes, “Oh I think that I found myself a cheerleader / She is always right there when I need her”

We all have “cheerleaders” in our lives. It may be your parents, your friends, your small group leader here, me. It doesn’t matter who your biggest cheerleader is, but it is important for each of you to know that you have people in your lives that are here for you and who want to help encourage you to continue growing in faith.

See, we can’t base our happiness on other people. But instead, our happiness should come from the news that all of our faults and wrongdoings in this world are because of sin. They stem from the sin that everyone experiences. And despite that sin that we all have deep in our hearts, God has done the most amazing thing ever. Literally ever. He has looked on you and said that you are good. Good because of what Jesus did on the cross. And you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone or change yourself to fit in because He has specifically called you to be exactly who He wants you to be right here, right now.