The Comparison Game

It's still too early to make definitive statements, but it's not far-fetched to say the quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft could become one of the best groups in history. 

Overall, six signal callers were selected in the first round in 2024. And while the verdict is still out on guys like Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy, early returns on the rest of the group have been remarkably positive. 

Though Bo Nix has started the 2026 campaign slightly below par, he's currently leading a 4-2 Broncos squad and has already led the franchise to an AFC Championship Game appearance.

In Washington, when Jayden Daniels is healthy, he looks like a quarterback who could be elite for years. During his rookie campaign, he finished fourth in the league in QBR and led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game.

Drake Maye, meanwhile, finished as the runner-up in MVP voting a year ago, leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance.

Finally, Caleb Williams also has a postseason win under his belt, and he's helped the Bears get off to a 5-2 start this season.

Thursday night, Maye and Williams battled it out in Chicago, with both quarterbacks throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. In the end, Williams' Bears edged Maye's Patriots 30-24, improving Chicago's position in the NFC North.

Yet yesterday’s matchup mattered not only for playoff positioning, but also for Maye and Williams as they compete to establish themselves as the top quarterback selected in 2024. 

A Sports Illustrated article in the aftermath of Thursday’s contest starts with the following paragraph: “For the rest of their NFL careers, Drake Maye and Caleb Williams will be compared to each other. Who was better? Who won more? Who did the most?”

As sports fans, we love the comparison game. After all, it's fun to see how players or teams stack up against one another and then engage in passionate conversations with other fans.

But as great as comparison can be in sports, it can also harm our walk of faith.

As followers of Jesus, each of us has been uniquely created by God. Scripture tells us that God gives each of us unique spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11) and gives us different measures of those gifts (Romans 12:3-8).

On top of that, God has intentionally placed us in different circumstances, so our life situations aren't the same as everyone else's. 

Although it’s easy to compare ourselves or our situations to others around us, we must recognize that such comparison is foolish and often makes us less effective at stewarding what God has graciously given us.

If, in the process of comparison, I conclude that my status is superior to the person I am comparing myself to, I will be tempted to become puffed up and conceited, thinking I am somehow superior to them.

This way of thinking is sinful and fails to acknowledge that any good thing we have comes directly from God's generous giving (James 1:17).

1 Corinthians 4:7 (NASB) says, “For who considers you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

On the other hand, comparison can also make us feel envious or discouraged when we see someone else as having higher status than we do. 

Rather than celebrating God's grace in someone else’s life, we can become jealous of that person or their circumstances, which often leads to discontentment with how God has sovereignly ordained our own circumstances. 

Ultimately, God has not called each of us to be the most gifted or the most productive. Rather, He has called us to be faithful as good stewards of what He has entrusted to us. 

For our part, we must always avoid getting caught up in foolishly comparing our gifts, status, or circumstances with others.

In 2 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV), the Apostle Paul wrote, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

Galatians 6:4 (NIV) says, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.”

Today, let us avoid the temptation to get caught up in comparison. Instead, let's assess only how faithfully we use the circumstances, resources, and gifts God has given us.

Let's be thankful for the good gifts God has bestowed on us, recognizing that we can accomplish anything good only because of Him.

I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times that I have sinfully compared myself against others. Please help me be thankful and content with how You have providentially ordered my life, and help me acknowledge the good You have worked in others. In all things, may You alone receive the glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.