A Broken Measuring Stick

Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

We carry it like a cane, leaning our weight on it. It bruises our sides, cuts our hands, and causes us to trip. We pack it in our purses and our suitcases, squeeze it into diaper bags and backpacks, and make sure we have it when we go out with friends.

What is this possession we hold so dear and cling so tightly to? It’s the measuring stick of comparison.

Whether we use it as a crutch, a weapon, or a scepter to rule our little kingdoms, the measuring stick of comparison is the most cumbersome accessory we can carry. It chains us to the past, keeps us trapped in discontentment, and leaves us wounded and wanting.

We pull it out to measure ourselves against our neighbor. We use it to justify our actions, judge our friends and acquaintances, and exalt our ego. At the same time, it strips us of peace, makes us stumble in discouragement, and sucks us into a spiral of despondency.

The measuring stick of comparison is not a support to our wounded souls; it’s a hindrance to loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Comparison is an age-old trap of the enemy to distract us from a life of faithfulness to God. Satan offers it to us in moments of weakness and weariness. Instead of grasping our Savior’s hand for help, we take hold of our measuring stick and start comparing our lives to someone else’s.

When we use it, we either think too highly of ourselves or berate ourselves. When we see someone who is gifted in a way we’re not, we get down on ourselves, doubting that God could ever use us. How can I measure up to her? What do I have to offer? When we encounter someone who isn’t gifted the way we are, we become puffed up, thinking we are God’s answer to the world’s problems. What would they do without me? I could do that better than they could.

Comparison steals our joy in life, disrupts our unity with other believers, and lessens our love for one another. Beneath the surface of comparison is envy. We want to be like our neighbor and have what our neighbor has while forgetting God’s purposes for us (see 1 Corinthians 13:4; Galatians 5:26). We think, If only I were like her, my life would be better. We want what we do not have, and we do not want what we do have (see James 4:2-3).

So what do we do with these measuring sticks we carry? Instead of looking around us, we turn our gaze to our Savior, who hung on two beams of wood nailed together to form a cross (see 1 Peter 2:24). When we come to Christ, who was broken for our sin, he takes our measuring sticks and breaks them in two.

In his hands of grace, he fashions together the pieces of our measuring stick and transforms them into a new shape for us to carry: the shape of a cross (see Luke 9:23).

Word before World The cure for comparison is to gaze steadily on the cross of Christ.

Grow in Grace When are you most tempted to pull out your comparison measuring stick? What would it look like to lay that stick down the next time you see someone you envy (see Ephesians 4:12-16)?