FROM GLORY TO GLORY

There are seasons in the life of a believer when one is transitioning from one thing to another, from the old to the new.  Not everyone makes these transitions because it is so easy to settle into mediocrity, into sameness, into predictability.  Flesh likes sameness, our need to feel secure likes sameness, our need to feel in control likes sameness.  I confess there are times when staying in “sameness” has an appeal to me, but I also realize that to be a part of what God is doing in the earth, I must adjust to Him and what He is doing.  Anything that has life, that has breath has to grow, has to change.  II Corinthians 3:18 says it this way:  “ And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  You may be in a spurt of growth right now, going from one season to another. It is important to realize that to get to the next season, there needs to be a transformation of your identity.  You cannot go into the next season with the glory of the previous season.  There has to be an increase of God’s image in your life to reflect the new.   In this transitioning/transformational phase, there is one particular pitfall I would like to share with you as you navigate through this time.  That pitfall is comparison. 

II Corinthians 10:12 – Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men (women) who tell you how important they are!  But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement.  How ignorant! (NLT)

A major problem with comparison is that it is performance related and a judgment of one’s worth is generally made depending on how well the performance is or was.  Our whole culture is a performance based culture and one’s value and worth is determined often times by how well we think we did or how well others think we did.

Comparison is not a trait of God’s kingdom.  How well we perform at any given task does not determine our worth to God.  Our worth to God was established when He chose to hang on a cross at Calvary so we can live life from a stance of victory, at all times, regardless of what circumstances are.

Any time we compare ourselves to our performance, or we allow others to judge us according to their standard of performance, we are relegating ourselves to shame, inferiority, superiority, guilt, and blame.  I can tell you all the should ofs, would of’s, could ofs and if onlys will be speaking into your ear, keeping you stagnant and paralyzed.

As you move through this time of challenge, stay focused on the one Who has called you to His glory.  He has led you and He will continue to lead you.  Do not compare where you are with where you have been and do not compare yourself to what is happening in others’ lives.  Your walk is unique because you are unique.  We are not cattle being herded by a rancher into the next pasture, but we are God’s unique creation being positioned for our next season of glory.