«Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?» (Proverbs 27:4).
The hard part is not that God does not grant us what we prayed for years ago: a companion in life, a good job, health, children. The hard part is watching Peninnah get it all (see 1 Samuel 1:2). The hard part is feeling that God answers other women’s prayers while ignoring ours. The painful thing is to think that we are less important if we fail to beat that rival, that Peninnah of our life.
Competition and comparison with other women arise when we base our identity on anything other than the Cornerstone. As Susan Barash explained in Tripping the Prom Queen, the problem is that «our definition of ourselves is tied to our perception of other women. We look at each other through comparisons…. We find it hard to see ourselves as separate individuals, with our own destinies. . . . We think we won when other women lose. We cannot imagine ourselves succeeding or failure on our own; only in comparison to other women.»
The Bible has many examples of women competing with each other, rival women: Sarah and Hagar, Rachel and Leah, Euodia and Syntyche. Their stories reflect the toxic tide that comparison and competition bring to our lives. However, the Bible offers a better path, which Ruth and Naomi, and Mary and Elizabeth walked. As Bethany Jenkins explained in Women, We’re Co-Workers, Not Competitors: ‘the more we accept our fundamental identity as Christians, the more able we will be to see other women as colleagues and not as competition.»
The next time you meet the Peninnah of your life, I invite you to remember that your courage and identity are forever engraved in the hands of Jesus (Zechariah 13:6), to pray that God will bless that woman and widen her territory (1 Chronicles 4:10). Envy and generosity cannot coexist in your heart. When you choose to bless Peninnah, envy vanishes. I invite you to remember that God is writing a unique and original story in your life. God doesn’t run out of plans or good ideas. Don’t compare yourself. You are a masterpiece in the hands of the best Artist.
Dear Lord, I thank you because the success of others is not my failure. When I’m tempted to compare myself and compete with other women, Please remind me who I am: Your beloved daughter.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate
