Years ago when I wrote Facing God, the Holy Spirit highlighted a verse in Isaiah 44 that often comes back to my remembrance. Regarding idols, the prophet said, “The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, ‘Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?'” (Isaiah 44:20 NLT).

The obvious answer is yes.

You should go read all of Isaiah 44. In context, Isaiah is scratching his head when observing how a person could take a block of wood, carve part of it to make an idol and use the rest to bake his bread and warm him by a fire.

It seems silly, doesn’t it?

But I want to use this same premise to talk about comparison– because in a sense, comparing ourselves to one another, or the world, can become a silly idol.

You and I were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He planned for us along ago (according to Ephesians 2:10). And Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us of God’s thoughts toward us: “Thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome” (AMPC). 

Comparison is like the fool using a block of wood for worship and fire. The original definition of comparison meant to match. Isaiah 44 is making the case that these things don’t match– and then quietly asking, “So why are you trying to make it the same thing?”

Uniquely different.

And that’s what I want to challenge us with today– why are you taking what God created and trying to make it something else? Romans 12:4-5 says, “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” 

Whether you like doing puzzles or not, I think you’d agree it would be ridiculous to open a box and find all the pieces the same. If they’re the same, they can’t come together and create something beautiful. It’s in their individualism that we see the whole. And even if some of the pieces have similar (or the same) shape, the coloring and design on each piece is uniquely different.

And that’s how God designed us– uniquely different.

I share this because I’ve wrestled with comparison many times in my life. Questioning and measuring myself has been a thorn in my side. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to be someone else, I just fell in the trap of “Am I doing good? Bad? etc. and let it define me at times.

The Bible addresses these things.

As I read 1 Corinthians 12 this week, I caught something I hadn’t seen before. Paul said, “Indeed, the body is not one part but many” (vs. 14). I knew and understood this. But the next thing he said was: “If the foot should say, ‘Because I’n not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,’ it is not for that reason any less a part of the body” (verse 15). 

Notice the very first thing Paul (inspired by the Holy Spirit) addressed was comparison.

We could say it like this: If Bill said, “Because I’m not Mike, I don’t belong,” we’d disagree and say that’s not true. Right? So pause and think about your own thoughts. Have you entertained thoughts like that? I have. And I’m thankful the Word of God and the Spirit of God answered those thoughts real quick for me!

The enemy of doubt is an enemy of God.

So let’s be honest and say unhealthy comparison is doubt and not from God. It’s a lie of the enemy to get you and I to question our purpose and challenge our self-esteem.

The Truth and Reality is this: God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works [good or bad], but according to His own purpose and grace in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:9).

My prayer is that this encourages you to look at comparison as a worthless (and silly) idol– and throw it down. Don’t even go there. Instead, turn to the One who created you and gave you perfect function in His body! And then be you!