I know you sometimes feel ordinary but you’re not.
You are one of a kind ~ a unique and beautiful blend of all God wants you to be.
You may feel invisible … like you’re just one of millions of others.
But there’s no comparison. God sees you friend.
And when God sees you, He sees someone He loves.
Listen as He whispers…”You are precious and honored in my sight …. and I love you.” Is 43:4
He also sees someone He knows.
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Ps 139:1
Since God knows you, has a purpose for you and loves the way He made you, I’m confident He wants you to feel the same way. Watch, listen and let Him sing these truths over your heart today. {And if you’re reading this in email, click here to watch it online.}
You really are…
Beautiful
Loved
Cherished
Chosen
Treasured
Sacred
You are His!
May God’s sweet affirmations replace all those comparisons. As you identify, understand and embrace who HE created you to be, I’m praying that like the psalmist, you can learn to say with confidence, “Lord, You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:13-14)
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Want to find out more about who God created you to be?
Here’s a link to a FREE Spiritual Gifts Assessment to see what your gifts are!
It’s FREE for everyone!
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Today’s GiveAway: I’m giving away 5 copies of the personality assessment that I talk about in my book A Confident Heart, In chapter 8, I share an in-depth section about personalities and how our unique traits play a key role in our God-given purpose. Today’s giveaway is called Wired That Way Personality Profile and includes a time-tested profile with definitions, instructions to eliminate confusion, a detailed explanation of your scores, and a handy team-building chart that shows how the different Personalities interact.
Enter to win: Share a little bit about what God is speaking to your heart or showing you today through my P31 devotion, this blog post and/or music video. Can’t want to hear from your heart. Simply click “share your thoughts” below. {And if you’re reading this in email, click here.}
Read my Encouragement for Today devotion The Comparison Trap.
Discover more from Renee Swope
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“Every time we compare ourselves with someone else, we can never measure up because we’re comparing our insides with their outsides.” – This seems to be truer now more than ever, especially with all the blogs and social media available to us. I’ve found myself comparing myself to other bloggers who manage to post every day, maintain their households, cook from scratch and do all these things that I can’t seem to do. Then there are my “friends” on Facebook who keep on posting photos about their vacation, kid’s activities, eating out and such when I have not taken a real vacation in years and my son’s activity consist of daycare so I can go to work. Sometimes, especially when I’m really tired, I fall into the “woe is me” mindset. But there are also those times that I remember how far God has taken us and all the He has done for us and I am grateful.
Renee,
THANK YOU for the assessment test. Finally something that will give me a definite
answer as to what Our Lord wants me to do in his kingdom. I never felt like I had
a “special” gift. I’m excited to find out now what my gift is! I am also praying that
in learning who I am in Christ that I will be more self confident knowing that God
created me for a purpose–it makes me feel actually important!! I have never ever
had this feeling before. Praise Our Father in heaven and thank you Renee, for
sharing your gift with me!!!!!!!!!! Blessings!!
So deeply encourage by your book and the devotions, learning my value it God is making my outlook in life so much better, I excited to discover more of myself as I give myself to HIM!!! Thanks for all you do to share HIS word to the world!!!
I just needed to hear once again how much the Lord loves me! I’m so tired of comparing myself to others. It so takes away from who God wants us to be. It’s freeing to operate in your gifts and then sometimes to have the Lord show you that you are gifted in other areas and to operate out of our comfort zones. I’m looking foirward to reading a Confident Heart with my daughter this summer.
God Bless
Grace 🙂
Thank you for this devotion. It comes at a perfect time for me. I work in the church office, but have a longing that it’s not enough or maybe not the right place. I see other women around me discovering their path & I feel confused. What am I doing wrong? Why am I not going someplace specific yet? What does the future hold? I would relish a test with a result that I can lean towards and see where my thoughts and feeling fit in. To be on the path that God planned would be a great comfort.
Thank you for the timely reminder that we should not compare ourselves to others. I like the line you quoted that says “We never measure up since we are comparing our inside with someone else’s outside.”
To just b me and no one else. To like me and love me.
I am a habitual comparison maker vulnerable to the opinions of others. I think it started as a child hearing “Why can’t you be more like…so and so”. Then being raised by a critical parent left me always second guessing who I was or what I was doing or was I good enough….and set up a pattern of trying to satisfy others expectations instead of being confident in who I am and who God has made and designed me to be. I lost track of who I am and became a hodgepodge of other people.
I’ve been so blessed by reading your devotionals. Even though I grew up homeschooled, with a great family who affirmed me, I have still struggled with comparing myself to others and feeling inadequate. This devotional really spoke to my heart today. It’s so easy to forget that God really feels this way about me, and He made me just the way I am for a reason. I’d love to have help figuring out what He has designed me to do, because I’m still not sure yet, and I feel like I’m not accomplishing anything.
I love the idea of being His masterpiece. Being made on purpose with a purpose! Your words encourage me on my journey. I am hoping to get back to the basics of who I really am- how God sees me- and what special purpose I can serve while living in the confident assurance of being His special, and yes beautiful (!), masterpiece!
I have been so blessed by your posts today.
Right now I am struggling with figuring out what God wants me to do. I want a calling…I’m discouraged. I could use that giveaway book right now!
Favorite part of the devotion was that we’ll never measure up with others, as we’re comparing our INsides, with their OUTsides. Reading Confident Heart right now!
I loved the “complete don’t compete” phrase as well as “Every time we compare ourselves with someone else, we can never measure up because we’re comparing our insides with their outsides.” By you sharing when you started to compare yourself to others, I also reflected on when I began comparing myself with other girls. It probably started in 5th or 6th grade and got worse as I got older. I would gaze at some girl I thought was cool and pretty and totally forget about myself. I only saw my insecurities measured against the beautiful image set before me. In a sense, I lost myself and didn’t keep my mind open to who God had created me to be in my personality. Competing is pride speaking and completing is humility speaking. Which voice do I want to listen to?
Hi Renee,
I just want you to know that God is wonderful! He absolutely knew that I needed to hear from you today. I just started reading the Proverbs 31 devotions this past Monday, and so far every one of them has spoken to me, but none as much as yours did today. You see, unfortunately, I am going through a separation. Every decision that I try to make concerning this situation and what I think is best for my son and me, I have family members who want to convince me that I am wrong, and not only are these decisions wrong, but they feel the need to point out every faulty decision they feel I have made in my life. These people are supposed to be my support team, but by the end of yesterday, they had me believing that they could make right decisions but I could not and never could. I spent yesterday feeling like a total failure as a person because I didn’t think about things the way they did. Your devotion this morning helped me realize that God made me just as I am and He doesn’t see my life and heart for him as a failure!
I do have trouble with comparing myself to others and even comparing my children. I make myself feel inadequate and unworthy or not equal to others. Thank you for your studies and book. It really speaks to my heart and helps my to not feel so stressed or worried. The verses are always so perfect for what is going on in my life.
Thank you Renee! I appreciate your devotional and your book too(not to mention the reminder of how God sees me in the video). I thought I was doing better with the comparison game, but evidently not. Everyone around me seems to be able to see God’s purpose for my life, but I still can’t see the giftings he has for me. I plan to take your spiritual personality test and hope to win the one you are offering today. I need to embrace who God has made to be and not what He hasn’t made me to be. Have a blessed day! You have blessed me!
God is encouraging me to rediscover and accept who I am in Him. A crisis happened in my life back in December that has made me question who I am as a woman, wife, sister, daughter and friend. With that I have felt lost in who I am to be and what I should be doing in my life. I did not like the person I became and needed to change. The past six months have been tough, but healing as the Lord continues to slowly guide me in the way I should have been going all along. In that I am rediscovering who I am in Him and coming to accept and love that person again as well as changing with Him where I can and need to. I’ve come a long ways, but still have a long ways to go. Yet with God all things are possible and in the end I’ve come to know and accept I am not a mistake, but I am His.
It seems that God has been trying to burn HIs message of unconditional love and acceptance of me in my heart. SInce being laid off a year ago, I have struggled to find why me, what did I do, and comparing myself with so many others. At the same time my daily reflections, the scripture that I keep getting led to tells me to let go of my fears, to accept that God lovingly created me for a purpose and that if I put myself in his Loving arms, all will be revealed. So many times I pray for greater direction in God’s purpose for me but then He tells me..in My time. When things don.t happen, my fears and doubts creep in – this reflection today reminded my that I am fearfully and wonderfully made…and loved…and have purpose! I must turn my fears into faith and trust He who made me..and holds me in the palm of HIs hand. I rest in HIs loving arms until He sets me forth where His plan leads me so that I can be of greatest service to Him and my fellow beings.
The bible tells us that it is not wise to compare ourselves amongst ourselves. As Christian women we often find ourselves comparing ourselves. Complaining and trying to be like our sisters in Christ. We are Designers Original created by our Father to be who and how God fashioned us to be. The only person we should Imitate is our heavenly Father. This helped me to see that ” I am fearfully and wonderfully made “. It’s a blessing to know that God has a purpose for my life and he wants to fulfill in me the destiny he has laid out for me. Today I will no longer imitate the life or characteristics of anyone else. I am who God created me to be and he has Greatness prepared for my destiny.