Today’s Reading: Mosiah 23
7 For thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another…
It is so easy to fall into the trap of pride. The amazing King Benjamin teaches his people that they should not “esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another.” There are parallels in our individual lives as well.
The comparison of ourselves to others can be damaging, for when comparing, the outcome is the same: someone is better. Either we are better than others or they are better than us and this is not how we should view either party. Our worth is individual and between us and our Heavenly Father. When our esteem comes from Deity, we gain a better understanding of who we are personally and what our individual roles are.
“Comparing yourself to others can … result in either feelings of inferiority or superiority. … Accept yourself as the unique person that you are without comparing yourself to others. Doing this will help you love yourself properly without conceit.” -Clark Swain (i)
My family of 8 was recently invited to the home of some friends for dinner. It was lovely and I was so impressed with their family. Their house was obviously clean (cleaner than mine), they were very active in various sports (more active than we are) and they were industrious (more industrious than our family). This family was so industrious that they even made their own furniture. I found myself forgetting the great things about myself and, instead, seeing their virtues. I forgot that I run a business, have 3 toddlers and that I do work very hard to keep our home clean- it’s just futile at times. I forgot that we have daily scripture study and family prayer. For a moment, I forgot that I have special things about me as well. In short, I forgot the good qualities that I have because I was engaged in comparison with my friend.
When we find ourselves in the unforgiving cycle of comparison, we might remember the pharisees, “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (ii) It can be helpful to take an internal inventory by asking ourselves, “Do I value what others think more than what my Heavenly Father thinks?” When pleasing our Heavenly Father is our motivation for living life, we obtain the unmistakable feeling of peace and our value to Him is more clearly revealed to us.
Should you fall into the faulty belief that your duties on this earth are unimportant, this council from President Hinckley should be invaluable: “We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory, ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (iii). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has said: ‘Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (iv).”
Stripping pride from our lives enables us to see everyone for not only who they are but (more importantly) for who they may become. This altered perspective allows us to see the beggar in the potential royal robes of eternity and gives us greater perspective into how we can best help them along the covenant path. When we view ourselves and others with the possibility of becoming “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,” (v) and as candidates for Celestial Glory, our vision extends beyond current circumstances and allows us to have hope in a much brighter future.
Do comparisons plague your mind? At times they have invaded mine, but I have come to know that this is not Heavenly Father’s desire for His children. When we eliminate comparisons from our lives and gain our esteem on our knees, we are happier, more content and more forgiving of ourselves and others. We see both the homeless and kings as equals, with the same potential to return to the presence of the Most High God.
Jeni Brockbank and her husband Bart are parents to 6 amazing children. She finds great joy in being a wife and mother and feels that both callings are sacred privileges. Jeni is a continual student of the scriptures and loves to share her testimony with anyone who will listen. She teaches choir, is crafty and is grateful on a daily basis to live a few blocks from the Brigham City, UT temple.