Inwardly and silently, we are slaves to the world and its changing expectations, demands and norms.
Comparing Ourselves to Others
How often do you walk into a room full of friends or people from school and start to compare yourself? We compare our appearance, athleticism, personality, GPA, friend group, body type, and social media following. It happens in a room full of people, and it happens when we’re alone and scrolling Instagram. Within seconds, without even realizing it, a deep and lonely part of us is insecure, and longing for a sense of worth. We feel inadequate and discontent.
We live so much of our lives like we are impoverished, desperate for the world to bestow a bit of affirmation onto us. With hands held out, we ask the world to measure our value. We look to the scale to tell us if we’re skinny enough or strong enough, or the boyfriend to prove that we are loved and seen, the coach to give us a spot on varsity, or the college acceptance that finally proves we’re smart enough.
We act like we are truly bankrupt, and we are hardly aware that it’s happening. We let our insecurities, fears and anxieties spiral in our minds, as we suffer silently behind the flawlessly curated Instagram post, waiting for the world’s approval that is never quite enough.
This is not unique to the teen years. This will follow us to the grave if we let it.
Jesus Offers a Different Life
But Jesus offers a completely different life. He offers wholeness, purpose and security.
There is unequivocally no room for a life marked by comparison, insecurity and emotional poverty when we walk with Jesus. He has already answered the deepest questions of our hearts, so we need to stop asking the world for answers.
He has replaced insecurity with a firm foundation, and an anxiety-inducing unknown future with a sure and steady hope. The Word of God defines our hope as an anchor for our souls, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19). Because of this hope, you can be anchored and unmoving.
Let me be clear. It isn’t a hope that you will get your dream job. It isn’t a hope that you will find the perfect spouse. It isn’t a hope that you will get into a prestigious university. It’s way better.
The Emptiness of the Comparison
It is a hope that bears no uncertainty. It is a hope in Jesus alone. It is a sure and unchanging hope in the reality that despite your unfaithfulness to a righteous God, He loves you with such an intense love, that He sent Jesus to suffer beyond what you can imagine, so that you could not only experience joy and purpose in this life, but that you will also experience a glorious eternity with Him that you couldn’t have earned if you tried.
