Have you ever wanted to just tell Facebook to shut up? I have wanted to lately. A LOT! And it’s not because of all the negativity and drama that can be on there, either.
It keeps trying to get me to compare my blog page to other “similar” blog pages….just to see how I measure up.
Why would I want to do that?
I used to visit Comparison-ville. A lot. In fact, I used to live there. I actually had several houses. One on Insecurity Avenue. One on Discontentment Lane. I had one on I’ll-Never-Be-Good-Enough Road and one on Why-Can’t-I-Be-Like-Her Blvd. I even rented one on I-Don’t-Like-Myself Ct. for a while.
Until enough was enough. Then I decided Comparison-ville wasn’t for me. It took a while….and a whole lot effort…but I got rid of every single house and got out of town.
Even though I sold those houses years ago, I am still amazed how easy it is to fall back into that old Comparison Trap.
Comparison is a trap
I asked Mikel one time, “How do you like my hair better, long or short?” He said he liked it both ways. I thought that was a copout, so I kept asking, and asking, and asking, and he finally said, “It’s a trap, and I’m not walking into it.” In fact, he was playing his guitar at the time, and I think he even made up a little ditty about it being a trap. Funny guy!
But that’s how we should respond every single time we’re tempted to compare. “It’s a trap, and I’m not walking into it!” And comparison comes in all shapes and sizes.
We can compare appearances, abilities, houses, jobs, kids, blogs. We can even compare our gifts and callings and vision.
Like Facebook trying to get me to compare my blog page to other similar pages. I’m sure they meant well, but it’s pointless. Even if the pages are “similar,” they aren’t exact. All things being equal….who are we kidding? All things are never equal.
I Visited Comparison-ville 🙁
At first, I did compare. And it about made me quit blogging.
One of the pages they try to get me to compare myself to is a woman who is a homeschooling mom who wants to encourage women. So, I checked out her page and her blog and about quit on the spot. Because I wasn’t where she was.
She had thousands of followers, and I had…well….not thousands. That’s for sure. She would get thousands of likes and hundreds of comments and I might get one or two. And I started to think I’m not good enough. Why do I even bother. Am I even making a difference.
And I found myself back in Comparison-ville in those houses I thought I burned to the ground years ago. And that’s when He whispered so sweetly to my heart, “Why are you writing?” And I knew…it wasn’t for followers or likes or comments or numbers. It was because He said write. So I focused on that instead and got the heck out of Comparison-ville in a hurry.
And I said, “Shut up, Facebook! It’s a trap, and I’m not walking into it!”
Sure, there may be some similarities – we’re both women writing blogs. But our purpose is different. Our audiences are different. She’s been blogging for years and I’ve been at it for a whole 11 months.
Really, there is no comparison. We are both unique. I’m doing what I feel called to do and she’s doing what she feels called to do. God gets all the glory, and in the end, we hear the same thing……..Well done.
The way to stay out of Comparison-ville is to know where your value lies. And it’s not relative to anyone else. Your value comes from knowing two things: who you are and Whose you are. You are His, and that alone sends your value through the roof. He made you a masterpiece, which makes your value priceless.
I don’t live in Comparison-ville anymore. I don’t even like to drive through there. And the best way to avoid that detour is finding out who you are, who He’s made you to be, and being okay with that. Focusing on that. Embracing that. Being uniquely you.
God made each one of us unique. A one of a kind! We have unique DNA. A unique fingerprint. A unique retinal pattern. A unique gift and call and vision and a unique personality to let that all shine through.
Don’t be afraid to be uniquely you. Embrace who He’s made you to be. And any time you’re tempted to visit Comparison-ville, just say, “Shut up Facebook! It’s a trap, and I’m not walking into it.”