How often does comparison cloud your vision, rob you of your joy?
Do you feel less-than? Ill-equipped for what the world seems to require of people?
There's actually something hidden in David's story about this.
Comparison grows out of a sense of unfairness.
We all have an expectation for life to be fair, and we often confuse that with justice, grieving or feeling left out when certain experiences or opportunities aren’t available to us the way they are to others. I rarely want to hear this, but everyone’s lives are different. And that’s okay. If you get caught up in what you don’t have, you will derail everything that is going well in your life.
The stabilizing truth God always brings me back to is that I will have what I need and what is best for me in His timing. This is something that we are accustomed to hearing as believers, but how often do we really ponder what it means? It definitely doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing. But at its core, comparison is really about timing, convincing us that we’re behind or missing out because of what we don’t have. Trust in the Lord’s timing enables us to release those burdens and maintain perspective.
We are not obligated to be anyone else or be where they are. We are only obligated to “take the staff in our hands” like Moses and use it in the grace God has given for this moment.
When David showed up to fight Goliath, Saul wanted to give him his armor. He didn’t believe David was equipped otherwise, comparing him to every other soldier (1 Samuel 17:33). But David didn’t wait until he had the training and weapons Saul did. He understood that he was ready to fight because God had ordained this battle with a sling and a stone for His Glory. Later on, God made sure David got the training and connections and weaponry he needed to succeed in future battles. It took many years of blood, sweat, tears, and trust to turn the shepherd boy into a king. But in that moment, all he needed was the faith and favor God had given him for that day, something Saul and the others were sorely lacking.
The next time you're lured down the dead-end road of comparison, remember David, the overlooked shepherd boy who was equipped by God in secret and used in one of the most famous historical battles. Don’t allow the Sauls of the world to force things onto you that God hasn’t given you for this season. Even if they’re good things, they may not fit you right now or the timing isn’t right for you to use them (1 Samuel 17:39). Don’t feel less than or left out because you’re lacking those “swords”.
Lift up every desire before the Lord and let Him reveal what steps you can take towards them. Then, ask God what sling and stone He’s given you for the battle that’s in front of you. Where are you being equipped for today? That’s where your power lies.
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