Don’t Play the Comparison Game

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” Psalm 139:13-15 NKJV

In a story titled “When Can You Really Start Calling Yourself a Runner?” published by Runner’s World yesterday, writer and runner Aly Ellis said “This is how I confronted my imposter syndrome when it came to lacing up and hitting the road.”

Growing up, I played basketball, softball, and lacrosse, even dabbled in fencing, but always stayed away from running. Other kids were faster than me, so I left running to them. When I moved to New York in my early 30s, I discovered the joy of a 5K, and started to lace up regularly.

A decade later, I’m still at it. By now I’ve run nearly 100 races, including five marathons. I work as an editor at the world’s best running magazine, and I cohost The Amazing Runner’s World Show with Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate. Yet some days I still feel like a fraud.

As I look around my office, filled with runners who are faster than me, it’s hard not to compare myself with them. Some of my coworkers have been running since grade school. Some ran on college teams. Several have won races!

And then, there’s me. I’m a back-of-the-pack runner. Party-pace runner, whose normal cruising speed is around 13 minutes per mile. My goal is to get faster, but I doubt I’ll ever make it to a winner’s podium.

Yet nothing lights me up like talk­ing about this sport I love so much. After speaking on a panel at the New York City Marathon last year, a runner approached me, saying she felt nervous about the race. It was my second time running it, so I talked her through the course to calm her nerves.

Afterward, she messaged me to let me know she finished and had a great race. While I may not know everything about running the way some of my coworkers do, I’m learning it can be a good thing. I have a different perspective and connect to other party-pace runners and newbies who are just dipping their toes into running.

And, you know, while it can be hard to keep our minds from playing the comparison game, it’s important that we do. Why? Because comparison will not only steal our joy, it will steal our confidence and keep us from fulfilling our unique calling.

You see, the Bible tells us that God, Himself, formed our inward parts in our mothers womb, and “skillfully wrought” us “in the lowest parts of the earth.” This "skillfully wrought," as used in the Bible describes a process of intricate, artistic, and purposeful creation. The phrase implies being meticulously fashioned, woven (think DNA), or embroidered, typically referring to God’s deliberate and detailed formation of human life in the womb, as well as the skilled craftsmanship used in building the Tabernacle. Pretty neat, right?

This means we are not only precious to the Lord, but are one-of-a-kind marvelous works of art.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

As such, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” good works that are specific to the way we were “skillfully wrought” and our life experiences that stem from our divine craftsmanship. 

Think about it this way. Whether Aly knows it or not, her “different perspective” that allows her to “connect to other party-pace runners and newbies who are just dipping their toes into running” comes as a direct result from the way she was made.

Spiritually speaking, this means God makes us all different and gives us all different perspectives to reach a broad range of different people. If we were all fast, who would reach the middle of the pack runners? And if we were all middle of the pack runners, who would connect with the award winners or the back of the packers? See where I’m going with this?

God seeks to reach all people with the Gospel and will use all people—with their unique quirks, varied talents, different personalities and walks of life—to get it done. And for that, we should not only refrain from playing the comparison game but rejoice in the way that we are made— looking for unique opportunities to reach the people we are uniquely qualified and called to connect to.

So, be thankful that you’re not like anyone else my friend! Rejoice in your differences and in the One who made you one of His marvelous works!

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, created for purposes unique to the way we were designed. Rather than playing the comparison game that steals our joy, help us to rejoice in our uniqueness and to use it for Your glory to connect to the lost. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!