Comparison Breeds Loneliness

We were created in the image of God. From the beginning of time it has been God the Father, Jesus Christ His son, and the Holy Spirit. They have had perfect intimacy and community from the beginning of time. We were created to share in their family. We were created with a need for the same thing.

Several years ago a friend and I began a Bible Study for 4th grade girls. Our heart was to help create strong Christian community for them to flourish in. We also wanted to teach them God’s word in a way that they were using it. The first week we asked them to share with us their biggest struggle so we could find the truth in God’s word to help us with it. Unanimously they picked, “loneliness”. I was blown away. Our wide spread social media of self promotion and only showing our perfect moments has left us with an epidemic of loneliness and we have to fight it for us and for our girls. One way we can do this is to be willing to open up about our lives. We have to be willing to really share our lives our triumphs and defeats, our strengths and our weaknesses. Sometimes it feels like we have too high a standard in our Christian community, and that standard can make a lot of us afraid that we will be found out for not being perfect and that’s causing us to stay more isolated. A struggle you’re dealing with might be the same trial someone else is facing and knowing that brings great comfort and encouragement, or maybe your trial is one they have already overcome and they can offer hope and perspective. Our perceptions of one another having it all together or our assumption that others aren’t facing the trials we are is hindering community.

We must not compare ourselves to our perceptions of each other and feel less but instead lean into one another’s strengths for we are all just part of the same body, and we need each other. If we use one another as a reference point of comparing then we are left with one of two outcomes.

1: compare ourselves and feel less, breeding insecurity or

2: compare ourselves and feel better and breed pride.

But if we refuse to look at one another as a reference point to compare ourselves but instead a friend to share ourselves then we breed community not competition.

Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.” Rom. 12:6 MSG

God’s desire for us is to be “what we where made to be”. When we feel confident in our part and letting others thrive in theirs then true community is built and loneliness fades.

2017/01/26 at 10:17 pm