The temptation to play the comparison game ranks high on the list of struggles for many women. Some of us may feel almost crippled with a perception of not measuring up to those around us, while others of us don’t feel the struggle with such intensity but certainly see its ugly head from time to time. Whatever the frequency, the whispers of Satan so easily waft into our ears and lure us into the utterly-futile comparison game:

Her children seem so well-behaved. I’m a total failure as a mother. 

She works a part-time job and has a full ministry schedule. I have too much white space in my calendar and obviously am not working hard enough.

Her prayer requests during small group always seem so deep. I bet she spends two hours alone with the Lord every morning. Obviously I should be getting up at 4am. 

We can even go so far as to compare suffering:

Her family budget seems really tight; they must be trusting the Lord more than we do.

Those women I met at the ministry conference live with unstable electricity and sometimes worry for their safety. I’m just not as spiritual as they are. 

These lies of Satan can be extremely subtle but amazingly effective. In one fell swoop we begin to doubt the goodness of God and His provision in our lives, His sovereignty over our circumstances, and our union with Him in Christ. Instead of rejoicing in the ways other women serve the body of Christ or in the gifts the Lord has bestowed upon their lives, we focus on our inabilities to serve in those same ways or the lack of equal blessings in our own lives. 

But as Christians, we are each united to Christ equally. When that voice whispers, “You aren’t enough,” we need to preach the gospel to ourselves: apart from Christ, I’m not enough and could never be enough, but in Christ, I have all things I need for life and godliness! All things. His life and sacrifice were more than enough. I don’t need to look inside myself to find “enough-ness” (contrary to the message of our culture) but instead run to Him and what He accomplished on the cross and find rest for my soul there.