Why is it that some have it so good when others have it so bad? Isn’t THAT an age old question? Sometimes it’s put a different way: Why do THEY have it so good when WE have it so bad? I’m sure you’ve heard it… maybe you’ve said it. Maybe you’ve turned it around the other way, Why do they have it so bad and we have it so easy? Either way, we are warned against any kind of comparisons of ourselves with other people. But really, how is it harmful?

Consider Galations 6:4. “Let everyone be sure to do his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work done well and won’t need to compare himself with someone else.”

There are other references too, but suffice it to say that the Bible recognizes that we can not be happy and envious at the same time.

Here are 4 reasons why comparing ourselves to others is a hindrance to your well being:

#1. When we compare ourselves to others, it gets in the way of our gratitude. If we are to be ‘thankful in all things’, don’t you know that comparison to another’s situation weakens our ability to do so? Gratefulness is key to walking in God’s Will. I once did a search for “God’s Will” in an online Bible and the only verse that came up was “Give thanks in all things for this is God’s Will for you.” Wow! How easy to be in God’s Will… just keep an attitude of gratefulness. Or maybe not so easy.

#2. When we compare ourselves to others we are practicing envy. It’s way too easy to begin to covet what others have when we are comparing ourselves to them.

#3 Pride can also be result of comparison. If we compare what we have to someone who has less, then we can begin to think that we are our own provider. Did you know that the average person in Jamaica makes under $300 annually? That’s about $25 a week. I’ve been told that they are some of the happiest people on the planet, however. So who REALLY has less? The more-than / less-than comparison is always counterproductive to a good attitude.

#4 All comparison is actually a way for us to elevate ourselves to God status. In fact, measuring yourself against another is judging God. Why is He doing more for them than me? Is He even fair?

Several years ago, I found that I was doing this quite a bit. Why do I have to work so hard for less return than that other guy? Why do they have so much more than my family? Why don’t they have to worry about…. the list goes on-and-on. Then a thought came to me. I am certain it was from God:

“With whom do you want to trade lives?” It’s a good question. It’s everything, however. Not just their paycheck. Not just their job. Not just their spouse. It’s EVERYTHING. Not just the part you covet. I have since posed the question to many of my friends: Who would you trade with? You get their money, but their health. You get their husband, but you get their kids… and their parents. Also, their problems, whatever they may be. I have yet to find one person who would trade everything they have, for everything someone else has. You may be different. If so I would like to hear about it. You may agree. I would like to hear about that, too!

My conclusion was this: God’s fairness shows up even as a universal balance. Nobody, if given the chance to think it through would really want to change lives with anybody else. As impossible as it seems to me, I have yet to find the exception. So… be yourself today! And be grateful that you are in your own skin.

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