I've watched women in the South particularly victimized by this. We all have it to some degree, but then, some of us really struggle and it keeps us from becoming the person God intended us to be. We see other people who are better than us in some way and we say to ourselves, "That lady sure is pretty - just look at her hair; look at how skinny she is. I'm a pig by comparison."

I tell people who compare themselves to others and fall into patterns of self-criticism, "Stop running down the Lord's servant! He made you more than a conqueror and apparently you don't believe it."

If you've fallen into the comparison habit, recognize that those thoughts are not from God. He made you with a unique set of giftings that you can use to build His kingdom. Take godly pride in what the Lord has done in you. I remember the Downs Syndrome kid I met in Cuba. His four brothers were preachers, and his father told me, "He's a preacher too." He recited Psalm 23 for me. It was one of the best sermons I ever heard.

"Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else." Galatians 6:4.