Furious Chapter 31 Devotional

Stay in Your Lane

In her book Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown talks about how much she enjoys swimming laps—until she starts paying attention to the people in the lanes next to her. Suddenly, she’s no longer swimming for herself. She’s checking her speed against theirs, comparing strokes. Whether she’s ahead or behind, the joy is gone, replaced by competition.

It’s not just a pool problem—it’s a people problem. And it goes back to the very beginning. The first murder in Scripture was driven by comparison.

Cain and Abel both brought offerings to God. Abel brought the best of his flock. Cain brought some of his crops. God accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. Instead of asking how he could have offered something better, Cain grew bitter. He saw Abel’s success as a threat. That comparison poisoned him. It made him feel smaller, less worthy. And he lashed out in violence.

But comparison doesn’t always end in rage. Sometimes, it leads to pride. We inflate ourselves by shrinking others. We measure their failures to feel taller in our own skin. When we’re insecure, it’s easier to find someone doing worse than to face where we’ve fallen short. It soothes the ego. It makes us feel good.

In my house, the kids take turns doing the dishes. One night, after dinner, I noticed that some dishes were still on the counter, and others hadn’t been cleaned properly. When I called out the child whose turn it was, his immediate response wasn’t to own it—it was to deflect: “Yeah, but yesterday when it was her turn, she left a huge mess!”

That’s comparison in action. It either makes us feel superior—or gives us a way to justify laziness, distraction, or mediocrity. It rarely inspires excellence. Instead, it shifts the focus off faithfulness and onto scoreboard-watching.

That’s what Paul is warning the Galatians about. They’d gotten entangled in legalism—and legalism thrives on comparison. Who’s more devout? Who’s obeying better? Who looks more spiritual?

But Paul says: Stop looking sideways. Pay attention to your own work. Let your standard be faithfulness—not competition. Let your reward be the quiet, deep satisfaction of a job well done—not a sense of superiority or guilt based on how someone else is doing.

When you focus on your calling—your lane—you won’t have time to obsess over how someone else is running theirs.

🔥 Reflection

Where do you most often fall into comparison—spiritually, relationally, professionally? How has it robbed your joy or distorted your view of others? What would it look like to return your focus to faithfulness instead of competition?

🙏 Prayer

Lord, help me stop comparing. Whether it leads to pride or insecurity, I know it pulls me away from Your voice and Your will. Teach me to do my work with joy and excellence—for Your eyes, not for others’. Let me run my race with focus and faithfulness. Amen.

📣 Call-to-Action

Identify one area this week where comparison has crept in. Maybe it’s on social media, in your spiritual walk, or at work. Make a decision to intentionally refocus. Instead of measuring, give thanks. Instead of comparing, commit to grow.