Does My Life Measure Up?

If I could just be like…

I have compared my life and accomplishments to others too often in my life and wondered, does my life really measure up? Will my life be significant? I want my life to matter, but I don't fare so well when I compare my achievements to others. I don't have a career. I am not leading a ministry to impact others. I am not homeschooling my kids anymore because they have all graduated. As I wonder what my purpose is and what God would want me to do, it is easy to look around and compare. But my mission will not look like anyone else's. I need to trust and follow God, not looking around and comparing. Remember, the Bible tells us that the least will be the greatest, and the greatest will be the least.

I am not the only one who compares. May bible scholars have compared Elijah and Obidiah. We all know Elijah to be a great prophet of God. He stood up to King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. Elijah told the king that there would be no rain because of the sinfulness he and Jezebel had been leading the nation of Israel into. Then Elijah promptly went into hiding. Three years after this proclamation of no rain, Elijah went to Obadiah and told him to let Ahab know he wanted to speak with him. Obadiah was not happy with this request. He understood King Ahab's anger towards Elijah and did not want to suffer the brunt of the king's bitterness and rage.

I heard that many scholars surmise that Obadiah had not been as faithful to God because he had assimilated into that society. Obadiah was comfortable and successful. He was trusted by Ahab and had a prominent position in the government. That only seems like a fair conclusion when we compare the outward comfort of Obadiah's life to Elijah's.

Obadiah was not called to stand up and confront the king and confront the sin. He was called to protect over a hundred Prophets by hiding them in caves. Obadiah was called to stay. He had to hide in plain sight.

If we were to take that same principle of comparison and compare Elijah's hiding to Obadiah, Elijah might look like a coward. Elijah dropped a bomb and ran away. He told King Ahab that there be no more rain, and then he went and hid by a brook. When the brook dried up, he went in hid in the home of a lowly Widow. Elijah went into hiding for over three years.

Neither one of these are accurate descriptions of either man. They are both strong men of God who followed after God and their personal calling. They both had their strengths, and they both had their weaknesses. Elijah delivered a message and eventually went to Mount Carmel and showed who God really was. He taunted the people and their false gods, waiting all day as the people danced and implored their gods to set fire to their offering. Nothing happened. At the end of the day, Elijah soaked the altar of God with water, and God burned up the offering proving that He is God. That may look like the more significant Miracle here, but Obadiah saving over a hundred prophets from certain death must have seemed like a pretty big miracle to them and their families. He risked everything to hid them in caves and keep them safe.

Comparison, when comparing to other people, only ends badly. My standard is Christ and Christ alone. We set the bar too low when we compare ourselves to others and their calling. When we compare what they are doing for God to what God has called us to do, we either end up looking like Elijah, the hero, or, like Obadiah, the failure. Neither is good. We need to simply keep our eyes on Christ and listen to his leading for our calling. Our life may never have a Mount Carmel experience. We may never reach the masses or save hundreds of lives. The impact of our life may not be understood until we enter eternity. Ultimately we live for Christ, not our own glory.

Follow after God with your whole heart, fear the Lord, and He will make your path straight. My life is for an audience of one. It is for the Lord Jesus Christ.