Create your Identity; Don't Compare

Great Minds,
Today is Sunday, let have a message, and this will border on "Comparisonitis".

Source: Google image
Comparisonitis is a moral disease where an individual compares himself with others. Are you always comparing yourself with others? Then you suffer from this malady that can kill you and bring you to extinction. Let's go to the Scriptures, Luke 18:9-14(NIV) "9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Consider the Pharisee in Jesus parable in the above Scripture. He was so proud of himself that he started off his prayer with a comparison: "God I thank you that I am not like men".

How do you establish your identity? Do you do what the Pharisee did in his prayer? Do you build up your self image by looking down on others less fortunate or gifted than you? If this is true, you lose your identity, it means you are standing on a shaky ground because your "original you " becomes uncertain, you can never be sure about yourself on those terms. Sooner or later, someone is bound to come along who is better than you in some way. You also risk loneliness, because no one cultivates friends by always finding fault with others in order to feel better about oneself.
God offers us His grace and mercy. Instead of being concerned with comparing ourselves with others and trying to make ourselves better than we think they are, we should concentrate more on acknowledging and sharing God's generosity in our lives.
Just like the second man in Jesus' parable in contrast to the Pharisee, looked to God in order to see himself properly. Doing so exposed his son but it also brought about God's forgiveness and restoration. This man shows us the path to true identity. It is based on honesty about ourselves and becoming like Christ.

Source: Google image
What are you known for?, work on it and remain true to yourself. Create a positive attitude and identify of yourself that you can be remembered for. Your brand you.

Live sweet

Thanks for reading