Walking from class I notice that the guy in front of me is greeting what seems like every person that passes by. I find myself wishing that I was as friendly and outgoing as he is, and thinking about how nice it would be to know that many people. I keep walking, headphones in and Spotify on shuffle as usual. I really enjoy the next song that comes on, but quickly find myself envying the range of the woman's voice and hating my own voice's limitations. As I get back to my room I decide to pull up Instagram on my phone. I continue scrolling, but stop to notice a picture of a friend's beautiful artwork. I think to myself if only my artistic abilities were that advanced and refined, I would be able to create much more wonderful pieces than what I do now.
In a period of less than 20 minutes I find myself completely overwhelmed with comparative thoughts. Im sure you can only imagine what the rest of my day looks like. Starting my day off in a comparative mindset can almost guarantee that I'm going to struggle with that mindset for the rest of the day, and once you find yourself in it its incredibly difficult to pull yourself out of it. This comparative mindset hinders, and sometimes altogether prohibits us from using our gifts. As we watch others excel in their gifts we hesitate in using ours with the fear of not being good enough or with the thought that our gift just isn't that great and doesn't really have a purpose.
In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Paul says that "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work." Later on in verse 12 Paul says "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ." At first glance it can be easy to not fully take in the weight of what is being said here, and just think to ourselves “Oh cool analogy Paul, we’re all a part of the body. That makes sense.” But it's important that we take time to process how huge what Paul is saying here is. When looking at the human body and all of its intricacies, for the body to be healthy it is critical that all of the parts are functioning properly. When one part of the body does not carry out its purpose, it dramatically affects the overall health of the rest of the body. If one organ or system in the body ceases to function, the health of the body will dramatically decline, in some cases causing death. I know that that is heavy, but it is important that we understand the interconnectedness of the human body.
Just as the human body is interconnected and dependent on the other parts, the body of Christ is a direct reflection of this. In order for the body of Christ to function in full health, every part must carry out their part, using their gifts to bless those around them and spur the other members of the body on. But if for some reason one part of the body does not carry out their part, it directly affects the rest of the body. This is where the aspect of comparison becomes important. Remember when I said earlier that the “comparative mindset hinders, and sometimes altogether prohibits us from using our gifts”? If we allow comparison to take over in our minds and prevent us from using our gifts, our function within the body shuts down and does not get carried out. If the body of Christ is a direct reflection of how the human body works, one could connect the dots and see that the repercussions of one part of the body shutting down would be extremely severe.
We can all attest to the fact that we are most productive when our bodies are fully functioning and feeling 100 percent. In order for the body of Christ to be most productive in carrying out the will of our Creator, we must be willing to carry out our part within the body. It is hard to refuse to let comparison take over, but hold on to what you know to be true: while you have unique gifts that are different from others, they were still given to you by the same God. Earlier I said that it can be difficult if not impossible to pull ourselves out of a comparative mindset, and that is the key. We cannot ourselves conquer comparison, we need the help of our perfect God. But with the help of Him we can throw off the hinderance of comparison and continue working in the body with the gifts He has provided us with, blessing others, giving Him glory, and furthering His Kingdom.
