You have heard the saying, “comparing apples to oranges”? It is where you take two completely different things and compare them to each other, to see which is better. Impossible! The common phrase gives us a picture of how useless comparisons can be.

Why then, are we always comparing ourselves to someone else? I know that I do this frequently. I have said many times, “I hope my new body in heaven is tall.” How I long to have the tall, graceful, and slender body of a model. I am not sure why we do this to ourselves, for God created each one of us in his image.  Psalm 139:13-14, “For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful; I know that full well.” Isaiah 64:8, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Just as a potter would take a lump of clay and form it into a valuable and useful vessel, God has made each one of us, a valuable and useful vessel. A vessel designed for his specific purpose.

When Jesus began his ministry and sought out his followers, he didn’t go into the synagogues to find the most gifted students. He didn’t search for the most handsome or strong. He picked from the lowly, common man—four of the twelve were fisherman and Matthew was a tax collector. Across history, God has shown how he chooses common people to fulfill his wonderous plans! Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. She chose to save the Israelite spies, and in turn they saved her and her family when the city of Jericho was destroyed. God chose a simple shepherd boy, David, the youngest and least worthy in his family, to be the next king of Israel. (King David is the great-great grandson of Rahab!) And God chose Saul, a hard-hearted, Pharisee bent on destroying the church, to be the greatest leader of the Christian movement.

So, when you are tempted to compare yourself to the skinny, beautiful, perfect woman on tv or even in your church—remember, God made you! God chose you to be his vessel to be used as a tool that will bring value and meaning to the world around you.  Stop comparing yourself to others! Stop minimalizing what gifts God has given to you, simply because you don’t see them as important as another person’s gift. I may be terrible with math and science, but God gave me a gift. I love to write, and I am able to put words together to convey a message.

Dear friend, the next time you look into a mirror, don’t focus on everything you wish you could change. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy”. Therefore, be joyful in who God made you to be. Embrace your talents, cultivate them, and use them to further the kingdom of the God who created you. “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58. -Amen