“Why does she always get picked first?” “His birthday party was way bigger than mine.” “They got a new game system and we didn’t.”

Have you ever caught yourself thinking something like that? It’s called comparing. It’s when your eyes go sideways to look at what other people have, instead of up to look at God. And comparing is sneaky, because it can make you feel jealous one minute and stuck-up the next. Either way, it’s pride sneaking in, making everything about you.

Even Jesus’ disciples struggled with this. After Jesus rose from the dead, He had a talk with Peter about what Peter’s future would look like. And Peter immediately pointed at another disciple, John, and asked, “But Lord, what about him?” Jesus’ answer was simple: “What is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:21-22).

That’s a pretty great answer! Jesus basically said, “Don’t worry about what’s happening with him. Keep your eyes on Me.” Peter never forgot that lesson. Years later, he wrote the verse up above. He told Christians to humble themselves and to stay alert, because the devil is always looking for a way to trip us up. And one of the devil’s favorite tricks is pride, because it’s so easy to miss in ourselves.

God has a plan for your life, and it’s different from everyone else’s. You don’t have to be better than anybody. You don’t have to have what anybody else has. You just have to follow Jesus. That’s what humble means: keeping your eyes on God instead of on everyone else.

Take Action: Play “Catch the Comparison” today. Every time you notice yourself comparing (in class, at practice, on the playground, or at home), stop and say “You follow Me” in your head. Then flip it around by saying something nice to that person, like “Nice job!” or “That’s really cool.”