Comparisons

They tell me that the number one fear for most human beings is not death. It is the fear of public speaking. Now, why would that be? Well, it's pretty simple. "What will they think of me???!" Here's what we do. We compare ourselves with each other. "Is she as pretty as me?" "Is he as smart as me?" "Am I as competent/spiritual/talented/whatever-you-want-to-compare as they are?" It is the norm, the standard, what all of us do. And this is God's opinion of it:

When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. (2 Cor 10:12)

Oh, wait ... that's not a good thing, right?

As it turns out, the only place we can possibly survive comparisons is among ourselves. You see, if we compare as God commands, we're in trouble. That's because God's standard is perfection (Matt 5:48). There, go for that one, eh? But the only comparison of real value is with God's standards and God's opinion and God's ideas. And here we are muddling about without wisdom, comparing ourselves with ourselves and coming out pretty good much of the time ... only wrong.

Imagine, then, if our primary concern was not "What will they think of me?" How would that look? How would it look when you're sitting on an airplane next to a stranger and want to share the Gospel with him or her or with a coworker? The first question would not be "What will they think of me?" How would it look when you were asked to speak in church (or elsewhere)? The first question would not be "What will they think of me?" Imagine that! Or what if you had the chance to share the Gospel with your boss ... without thinking "Will they fire me?" because you're not comparing yourself among yourselves. Your sole concern would be "Am I glorifying God?" It could include your words or your presentation or even your appearance, but it would not be comparing yourself among yourselves.

We're really bad at this comparison thing. We pick bad standards and then come out pretty good most of the time. Sometimes we select bad standards and come out pretty bad most of the time. (That's my typical mode of operation.) The problem, then, is not how we come out, but the bad standards we are using. If we are to "do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31), though, it would seem necessary that our standard must be God's standard and God's glory. As Paul puts it, "'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 Cor 10:17-18).