The Spirit of Comparison and Covetousness

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned I whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound…I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).   
 
We’ve all looked at someone and wished we had what they have. We’ve all wanted to look like they do or live how they live—speak the way they speak and lead the way they lead. If you’re a mother, haven’t you ever looked at another woman and thought she was Superwoman? She had her hair just right and her kids weren’t screaming in the grocery store. She seemed so put together, and you thought, “I wish I could be that good of a mom.”  

If you’re a male, haven’t you ever seen another man who had it all? He had the personality, the great job—built like a stone wall and seemed like a born-to-be leader?  

Everyone, no matter how perfect they seem, has compared their lives to someone else’s. The problem with this is that not only does comparison make you feel mediocre, but it also hinders you from celebrating others when they are blessed. When we let the spirit of comparison have a hold on us, we can’t rejoice with others. And then we find that we covet the blessing that someone else got. Jealousy takes root, and there is no love where jealousy resides.  

You might believe that you have no control over the urge to compare yourself to others or covet what they receive, but you do. Paul says to take every thought into captivity to obey Christ (1 Corinthians 10:5). We have control over our thoughts, but we must focus our hearts on the Lord rather than on what we hope to gain. Once we decide to celebrate others, we are no longer hindered by comparison and covetousness because we are choosing to be content in our circumstances rather than hating our season.  

Celebration corrects the competitive spirit in us. It gives us life instead of dragging us down so that we can show genuine love no matter our circumstances.