How should I respond if my experience with God differs from other believers?

Leviticus 19:32“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.”

Even if our experiences differ from the elderly, we should show them respect and listen to their advice.

Romans 12:6-8In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

God gives each believer a unique combination of spiritual gifts, so we should not expect all believers to be the same in their spiritual gifts and how they exercise them. Instead of comparing ourselves to others—whether positively or negatively—we should use our gifts, the ones God has entrusted to us.

Romans 12:9-10Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Everyone has a personal and unique story of how they came to have faith, some of which are more dramatic than others. Paul, for example, met the risen Christ in a blinding light on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19), while Timothy, Paul’s mentee, was raised by a godly mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:3-5). We should “delight in honoring” fellow believers and their genuine testimonies of how God drew them to himself.

1 Corinthians 10:13The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Paul says that our temptations and trials are not unique to each person, meaning that many others have experienced them. But because each person has a unique physical and mental make-up, personality, strengths and weaknesses, and life experiences, we should expect others’ struggles to differ from ours, and we should not expect them to respond the same way that we would.