Have you ever achieved something then when you looked at someone else, felt like you’ve failed??? Then for no reason, you felt like you now dislike that person?

Beloved, the urge to compare yourself with another person is not of God!!! So, you must resist it! Don’t live your life like you’re in a competition with your peers or other people. If you will rise above this, then I can assure you that your life will be a perpetual victory parade. We are all unique & different in our own special ways. We also have our own individual races to run. And if we can all run our own races and appreciate each other, then we will have no time to compare ourselves with other people.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

Galatians 6:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

Pay CAREFUL ATTENTION TO YOUR OWN WORK!!! What a simple but deep truth!! Run your own race. Get to know your path and walk ye in it. Your story and purpose are different from someone else’s.

Every day, I work to be the best of myself, my standard being the Word of God. I run my race. When I cleared high school, I started with CPA studies. 90% of my peers went ahead to do their degrees. I qualified to do a degree (scored B+ 70 points) but I did not follow the wave. If I did my degree course immediately, I would have graduated in 2015 but instead, I did graduate in July 2016. In campus, I was a bit quiet but I lived to impact lives, never swayed by the crowd.

After campus, I got a job which was a bit tricky and after pressure from my parents, I quit then began to do academic writing. This is one of the most involving experiences I’ve gone through so far. I remember one time, I did 70 pages in 48 hours from scratch. I slept on the third day in the morning but I was proud of myself. I was happy that I was doing something with my time. I never even remembered to compare myself with my peers who were already working. I was sleeping an average of 4 hours every day being paid just 250 shillings per page. It was challenging to adjust my sleeping routine when I started working. Anyway, I learned to appreciate myself at all stages. Later, I was called to do an interview which I never directly applied for and got the job. Favour😊

Thereafter (2017), I began living alone. Seriously, I was so happy that I was gradually becoming independent. Some of my precious possessions included some 3 cups that I had inherited from my brother LOL. Long story short, I have grown. Are there peers who are socially ahead of me in some aspects? But of course. But then my question is, does the progress of other people mean that you are failing??? Now, it is 2019 and it is progress all the way in all aspects of my life.

Beloved, one of the greatest inner battles you will ever win is the temptation to compare yourself with another person. As I did that academic writing, somebody else somewhere was getting a new job, another one, even a promotion/going on retirement. Maybe, another person was celebrating his company having been listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange while another one was leaving employment to start their own company. It would be unfair to compare these achievements and term either as lesser because all of them are running their personal races.

Set your goals then work hard but smart and the grace of God upon your life will amplify your efforts. Learn also to pause and applaud yourself. Enjoy each and every stage and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they seem. Those small victories, celebrate them. Take time to appreciate yourself!! Trouble will come if you compare your achievement with someone who is completely on a different path or even what seems like the same path. Envy, jealousy, dissatisfaction, low confidence, low esteem, worry e.t.c. will characterize your life. In fact, you’ll even stop focusing on your vision, in a bid to compete with your sibling/neighbour/friend/colleague.

Did they get promotions? Rejoice them with them. Did they get a kid? Yours is on the way (marriage set up😊). Rejoice. Laugh with them. Your time is coming. And when God decides it is your time, oh buoy, the whole world must know!!!! So be patient and sow goodness.

Anytime I walk into a room, I don’t regard classes. I am there as Nelly, God’s royalty & His highly prized possession. And as much as I respect people, I don’t allow myself to be defined by papers or small earthly things. I think that is why the people who grow close to me say, at first sight, I looked very intimidating and proud. From how I carry myself to how I regard myself and talk. But then they realize I’m really cool and accommodative. You were bought with a price gal. There is how you talk. You’re a king. You’re God’s kid. Why should temporal things influence your spirit? Your peace, esteem, and joy are independent of temporal things.

¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

1 Corinthians 2:13King James Version (KJV)

The Bible admonishes us to compare spiritual with spiritual. Compare yourself with the Word of God. If the Bible says you are beautiful, you’re beautiful. Period!!! If the Bible says that in Christ, you are rich; sister, walk like a rich girl even if your bank account is at 0 shillings. Keep working out your faith. Work smart. Soon, kings will be coming to the brightness of your arising!!! The Bible says that Jesus became sin on the cross so that you might become His righteousness by faith, brother, walk like a righteous person. No matter how bad, you may have messed up, hold your head high, chin up and walk like a forgiven man not allowing your spirit to condemn you. Self-condemnation weakens your spirit and the faster you get over that experience and focus on the love of Christ for you, the easier it will be to grow in Christ.

Anyway, so am I overconfident???? Honestly, Christ, the definition of confidence lives in me so we cannot even begin to measure it. All of it is in me haha kayaaaa. My confidence is the kind that walks on water and through fire coming out unscathed. Nothing moves me. Even if the heat gets to 200 degrees, Papa God has removed its ability to affect me. And trust me, I’ll not be smelling smoke when I walk out of that fire. Because I never walk alone. The Holy Ghost is my Extraordinary strategist, my wonderful Counselor. Only the Word of God moves me. And everyday, I’m learning to mix the Word with faith!! So if that is defined as ‘underconfidence’ or overconfidence, so be it.

Rise above the worldly way of describing things like success. Success is influencing the world with the investment God has deposited in your personality. It is all about causing the people around you to aspire to your aspirations…….I have to say though, where I live in (Zion), we shine everywhere; in this world and in the spirit. Educational and corporate accolades will be synonymous with your name.

You are an achiever going somewhere to happen!!

Don’t be distracted by comparing yourself with another person. Run your race, for there is a course that you must follow. God has placed you in the highway of favour. Shine and manifest Him on this earth!!!