The Comparison

On the way to church this morning, my wife and I got a pretty good show on the interstate.

I was driving my 5th-generation Toyota 4Runner, built out for overlanding. I've strapped about 1000lbs of extra weight on the thing. It isn't a sports car. It isn't a luxury car. And it certainly isn't a track car. It's 0-60 ends at a gas station. It's heavy, it guzzles gas, and it struggles to get out of its own way. It's built to take us places that aren't necessarily

roads.

Ahead of us, a Porsche GT3 RS entered the interstate. I certainly don't see those very often. It was a color I didn't care for, but the car sounds, performs, and just is impressive. The GT3 RS is a remarkable machine. It's essentially a road-legal track car. It was built with the purpose of delivering track-focused performance while still being street legal. I commented to my wife about it and instantly saw the "I'm not sure why you want me to care" look she gets when I talk about cars.

Just after I mentioned the car to her, I saw two other cars in my rear view mirror coming up quickly. The first was a black, early 2000's Corvette. A little ways behind was a similar year model Jaguar XKR. Both were are good cars in their day, but they were built for different purposes.

The Jaguar was designed as a luxury grand tourer. The idea is performance wrapped in comfort and refinement. Luxurious leather and wood trim accents, Electronically controlled suspension, and a supercharged V8 speak to the purpose behind the design. I've never driven one. There weren't all that many built. If my guess about the car's age is right they made fewer than 3000 of them.

The Corvette was designed as a sports car. Chevy built it to deliver high performance, handling, acceleration, and an engaging driving experience on the road. It's different from a track car. A sports car is designed to be enjoyable and capable on the street. A track car is much more focused on extracting maximum performance from the car and driver in a controlled environment.

It was now interesting, even to my wife, as this little story developed. The Corvette and Jaguar had both accelerated to pass me and catch up with the Porsche. They were trying to catch it. I wasn't, but I was interested in seeing this little story play out. I knew my 4Runner wasn't keeping up with any of them. I sped up a little. I definitely didn't want to race, but because, honestly, my wife and I wanted to enjoy the show.

And as I watched those three cars get smaller as they ran down the interstate, I started thinking about us as men.

Were the Corvette and Jaguar trying to be something they weren't built to be?

Were they comparing themselves to something that wasn't even designed for the same purpose?

And more importantly…

How often do I do the same thing?

I see another man's career.

His house.

His truck.

His bank account.

His marriage.

His physique.

His ministry.

His accomplishments.

His influence.

And something inside me says, I've got to catch him.

I don't think I'm alone in this. I know other men do the same.

What if we're comparing ourselves to a man God never intended us to be?

What if we're trying to prove something that God never asked us to prove?

And here's another question that struck me:

Could some of our striving be a misdirected search for affirmation?

Maybe we're trying to get the attention of someone we perceive as being "higher" than us.

Maybe we're trying to demonstrate that we belong.

Maybe we want someone to look at us and say, You're good enough.

Maybe we're trying to prove that our life has value.

But the Gospel tells us something radically different.

Our worth doesn't come from catching the Porsche.

Our worth doesn't come from having the fastest car, the biggest house, the best job, the strongest body, or the most impressive accomplishments.

Our worth comes from belonging to Christ.

Paul tells us in Galatians 1:10:

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?"

That's a question worth sitting with.

Who are we trying to impress?

Who are we trying to catch?

What are we trying to prove?

The Jaguar wasn't built to be a GT3 RS.

The Corvette wasn't built to be a GT3 RS.

And my 4Runner certainly wasn't built to be one.

All three have different purposes.

Different strengths.

Different capabilities.

Different roads.

And perhaps that's the lesson for us.

God didn't make every man the same.

He didn't give every man the same gifts, calling, opportunities, resources, or responsibilities.

So maybe the goal isn't to catch the man in front of us.

Maybe the goal is to faithfully become the man God created us to be.

And maybe the men traveling alongside us aren't competitors at all.

Maybe they're our fellow warriors.

Men who remind us who we are when we forget.

Men who challenge us when we get complacent.

Men who encourage us when we get discouraged.

Men who help us stay on the road God has called us to travel.

This morning, my wife and I got a kick out of watching the "race" unfold on the way to church.

But somewhere between the Jaguar, the Corvette, the Porsche, and my overbuilt 4Runner, I found myself wondering:

Am I ever guilty of stepping on the gas because I'm trying to catch something God never asked me to catch?

Maybe that's a question worth asking ourselves.

Not, "How fast is the guy in front of me going?"

But…

"Am I faithfully going where God wants me to go?"