3 Powerful Ways To Stop Comparison as a Writer
Friend, have you fallen into the trap of measuring your work and comparing it to everyone else in your writing ministry? Every day, when you scroll through your Facebook and Instagram feeds, you see it: This writer has just signed a contract for a book, the other one is launching a book, this one found a literary agent, this one has been a podcast guest, or yet another one is invited to be a speaker at a conference. News, news, news!
You are happy for your writing friends and connections; you celebrate them, but then questions start to swirl in your mind. What about me, God? When will I be able to write and publish a book? Who will invite me to be a podcast guest or a speaker at a Christian event? Will I ever find a suitable agent? Lord, I feel like a failure.
We ride down the spiral of comparison that clouds our hearts and makes us miserable and discouraged. The rising resentment and disappointment with our own work and progress show us that it is not wise nor godly to measure our work against everyone else. But how can we measure our work right and in a God-pleasing way? What are the ways to stop comparing our work with the work and achievements of others?
1. Boast in the Sphere of Service God Has Assigned to You.
To each of us, God has given a sphere of service, a portion of the field, a specific assignment and responsibility that only you and nobody else could fulfill. Even when several workers work on the same part of the field, each has a different gift, approach, and way of working. You are unique, and your ministry and work are unique to you. No one can take your place in the harvest field, because this place is reserved only for you. So instead of focusing on others’ successes and achievements, let’s focus on our God-given vision and assignment and choose to acknowledge our own progress.
“We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you” (2 Corinthians 10:13, NIV, emphasis added).
2. Develop the Hope To Expand Your Ministry.
Comparing our work with someone else’s often leads to coveting as we start to want what the other person has achieved, regardless of whether it is right for us or in God’s plan. Instead, the right thing to do is to cultivate the hope that the Lord will expand our sphere of activity and reach at the right time and through the right doors. Trusting the Lord with the growth of the writing and creative ministry He has given us and following Him faithfully is the proven path to success.
“Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand” (2 Corinthians 10:15b, NIV, emphasis added).
3. Boast in the Lord.
A powerful way to stop measuring and turn away from comparison is to boast in the Lord. What does this mean? It means that even if we feel like failures compared to somebody else’s work, we can still boast in the Lord and about the Lord. We can boast and praise the Lord for His wonderful deeds and all the ways He works in and through our ministries. He is our Lord and our Partner in the ministry, providing inspiration, strength, and opportunities to reach others for Him.
“But, ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:17-18, NIV, emphasis added).
The temptation to measure our work against everyone else is present and powerful, especially in this age of social media. But we can overcome it by boasting in the sphere God has assigned to us, by developing the hope to expand our ministry, and by boasting in the Lord. Our aim should be not to compare to others but to become an approved worker whom the Lord commends. Let’s trust that as we run faithfully in our lanes, the Lord takes the initiative to commend and promote us, establishing us with His seal of approval.
Blessings,
Hadassah Treu
How do you measure your work? Which of these three ways to measure your work resonated most with you?
I really loved this post. Thank you.
Thank you, I needed to hear this today! Struggling with where to start and how to do it.
Thanks, Sharon! I am happy it encouraged you.
What if your think its too late? That you waited to long to begin this journey, as you compare yourself to everyone else?
Hi, Michele! If you trust and follow God’s timing, you are never too late because He is the God of perfect timing. Don’t let this thought become an obstacle to following God as He leads you.