Jesus is the Benchmark
Am I saying this now to win the approval of people or God? Am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant. (Galatians 1:10)
An advisor I knew from another firm was scrambling! He just finished a meeting with one of his largest clients. Heading into it, he felt confident because the market was up and the investments he recommended were up also. But his client threw him a curveball when he asked for a comparison of his portfolio to a benchmark of index funds. Believe it or not, the advisor was not exactly sure which benchmark to use, and he had no idea how his client’s portfolio was performing in comparison to it.
The request from the client was very reasonable, although the request was not as common decades ago as it is now. He simply wanted to gauge the returns against the broad market to determine if he was on the right track. He wanted to know whether or not his funds were performing like they should.
My advisor friend was having a difficult time because he knew most portfolios underperform compared to the overall market. As he ran the comparison, he was crossing his fingers - hoping and praying that the client’s portfolio performed better than the overall market. Not surprisingly, it underperformed.
What do you use to benchmark your life? Who are you comparing your life to?
Are you comparing your life with your neighbor’s? You know, the one with a better job and new car who takes all of the cool vacations? Or maybe you are benchmarking to the person at work who seems to have all the right answers and appears to be on a better career path?
Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to the wrong benchmark.
The only benchmark you should worry about came from Nazareth and lived about 2000 years ago. Jesus died so that you will know which benchmark to use. He loves you deeply. He wants you to be more like Him, and less like the guy at work. HIs grace is free, all you need to do is accept it.
The benchmark is Jesus, so compare yourself to Him and no one else. You will underperform and that is OK. When we try to manage our own lives, we have all of the weight and baggage of this world. Pursue Him daily and you will grow closer to Him.
When evaluating your life, make sure you use the right benchmark.
Lord Jesus, please help me to accept the grace You have given to me. Forgive me when I compare myself to others to feel proud, or to feel ashamed. Thank You for showing me how to truly live a full life.
