Dr. Bill Hemmer says, “Don’t compare your behind the scenes to someone’s highlight reel.” My friend Beth Craig first introduced me to this nugget and pointed out that this is often what we do when wading through social media pages. There we are at home in our sweatpants, managing the mundane, while our friend is posting news about their mega record deal and up-coming world tour.
As I watched the 2012 Olympics, I was struck by a comment that was made by several of the winning swimmers. When asked by sports interviewers what helped them succeed, they replied, “I stayed in my own lane.” That really made me think. Sometimes as soon as we begin to focus too much on what someone else is doing, we quickly lose sight of the unique race God has us running.
Scripture tells us that we are fearfully, wonderfully made; created for a divine purpose. This should be our understanding as we live out our earthly experience, yet we tend to veer off course, lose focus or become discouraged by the magnitude of someone else’s highlight reel. This is otherwise known as comparison, which God has commanded us to avoid.
Human nature, unfortunately, can have its way with us from time to time and we succumb to the temptation of looking outside our lane, outside the life God has gifted us. As a result, we fall prey to insecurity, jealousy, or the belief that God loves us less than our more fortunate neighbor. In turn, our confidence and understanding of God’s unique design for us is shaken.
My heart always breaks for Olympians who train for years, show up at the biggest event of their lives and are unable to perform at the necessary level. Perfection is the standard, the pressure is on and the lanes around them are filled with fierce competitors. The thoughts generated in their minds create doubt and thus causes them to make that critical misstep.
This also reminds me of Peter, who was called out of the boat by Jesus to walk on water. During those few moments of complete confidence in who was calling him onto the water, he defied the laws of nature. Yet, as soon as the distractions, Peter sank.
All it takes is some overthinking and focus on self, “Can I really do this? What if I fail? What if the people don’t like me?” As soon as thoughts like this are allowed in, the power of God in your life is minimized. It is as if He is not in the equation at all.
At the end of the movie, “Seven Days in Utopia,” viewers are directed to a website that explains the outcome of the movie. The author, David L. Cook shares these words, “So often, at day’s end, we stare at the back of the tapestry of our lives trying to make sense of the meaningless meandering of the thread. And one day it happens, through a messenger or experience, we hear the clear voice of God calling us to take a peek at the other side of the tapestry. When we do, we are undone by the beauty of the story being woven and the meaning of a life of inconsequential circumstances emerging into an epic adventure with a purpose and calling worth living for.”
Ok, so the sweat pants and mundane (i.e. housework) may not be epic, but there are many other moments in your race that are! The fact is, God has made you completely unique. He is a god of variety and His plans unfold differently for each of us. Refusing to look at our life through the lens of comparison is where victory is found. In other words, we need to stay in our own lane. Cherish individuality.
The less I pay attention to what others are doing, outside of learning from them and celebrating what God is doing in their life, the stronger, more creative and joyful I become. It simply does not matter how I measure up to the next person. What matters is I keep my eyes on the One who calms the oceans, set the stars in the sky, and designed my unique journey across the water.
