In Comparison

When we see another's work, it is often tempting to compare our work with theirs. For example, say you are writing... a poem. You like how the poem is turning out, but it's still a little rough around the edges. Then you read another person's poem. It is the most beautiful, touching poem you have ever read. You read your poem again. It hardly begins to compare. It can be easy to get discouraged. To look at how short your work falls in comparison to another's. Some times you might even want to crumple your poem up and throw it away because it could never be as good as so-and-so's.

But here's the catch: Your poem isn't going to look like so-and-so's poem. It's not supposed to look like so-and-so's poem. God has created special talents and gifts in you - even if He gives two people the talent to write poems, their poems are going to be different. One might write about nature -the other about music. But EVEN if they write about the same subject, it will be different. Person #1 might have just finished editing their poem when they read Person #2's poem. Person #1 might like Person #2's work a lot better than theirs, but it doesn't mean Person #1's work isn't good. God has a purpose for Person #1's work, just as much as He has a purpose for Person #2's work - and that purpose is NOT to discourage Person #1 or even Person #3 from writing poems - if writing poems is part of God's calling for those people.

Certainly we can learn from studying other's work, though. We shouldn't just just say that our work is going to be different from others and therefore we don't need to learn from their work. No. Say you like to paint. Studying painters at work can help you paint better. Not so you can copy all their paintings exactly, but so you can see the different techniques they use and figure out which techniques you want to use.

But most importantly, and frequently, we need to study Jesus. We should study His life and be more like Him every day. "But He was PERFECT!" You might say. "We could never be like Him." But by reading and applying God's Word to your life daily you will become more like Jesus every day. In Philippians 3:12, Paul says, "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." (NLT) Every day we need to "press on" to possess the above mentioned perfection. Ask God to help you become more like Him every day. It's a life long process, but each day He is faithful to help you reach the mark.