Comparison is sneaky. One minute we’re humming along, content with our life and calling – then suddenly, comparison sneaks in, making us distracted and discontent.

We all deal with comparison, measuring ourselves against others.

It’s a tactic of our enemy to throw us off course. But Jesus has better for us.

Shannon Popkin is the author of Comparison Girl, and host of the Live Like It’s True podcast.

In this conversation, Shannon challenges us with Jesus’s words and actions to help us lay aside destructive comparisons and embrace the freedom of living in our calling and gifts.

Some highlights from our conversation:

• Shannon tells us the three ways comparison can throw us off track. It can distract us, deplete us, and destroy us.
• Shannon shares how she struggled with comparison and what the Lord started to show her in Scripture.
• We discuss how Jesus used comparison as a teaching tool. For example, He says Mary chose what was better than Martha, and she holds up the widow who gave her last two coins as an example of generosity. When we compare ourselves to these people, they positively challenge us to be more whom we are created to be.
• This means not all comparison is bad. So, how do we know the difference? Shannon says it simply: we evaluate if it’s pride or humility.
• We talk about the passage we meditated on from Philippians and how Jesus exemplified laying aside all his advantages in an act of ultimate humility.
• Shannon shared how she meditated on the passage in a different translation (the CSB), which says, “did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited” instead of “used for his own advantage.” We discussed the word “exploited” and what it triggered for both of us.
• Finally, Shannon gives us a few practical ways to lay aside comparisons during this Lenten season and beyond.

You can connect with Shannon at: https://www.shannonpopkin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonpopkin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanpopkin/

Listen to the Live Like It’s True Podcast: https://www.shannonpopkin.com/bible-podcast/