Scripture Focus (NKJV)
“But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
For each one shall bear his own load.”
— Galatians 6:4–5
Devotional
During my first year of medical school, I struggled more than I let anyone see.
On the outside, I laughed at the right moments. I joined conversations. I tried to be “in.” I smiled when grades were discussed. I nodded when study strategies were shared. I acted like I belonged.
But inside, I was unraveling.
I was comparing everything.
Their exam scores.
Their free time.
Their friend groups.
Their confidence.
Even their timelines — some younger than me, moving through school without the delays I carried quietly.
When I failed a class early on, it broke something in me. While others celebrated passing, I went home and cried in sorrow. Comparison whispered loudly:
You’re behind.
You’re not smart enough.
You don’t belong here.
Everyone else is thriving but you.
What I didn’t know then — what I see clearly now — is that nearly everyone was struggling in their own way. Many were simply better at hiding it. Some were coping in ways I never saw. Some were medicating just to survive the pressure. But because I could only see the surface, I believed the illusion.
And here is where Galatians confronts us gently:
“Let each one examine his own work.”
I wasn’t examining my work.
I was measuring myself against theirs.
My studying became transactional. I forced myself into methods that worked for others but exhausted me. I prayed, but even my prayer felt performative — asking God to help me keep up so people would see that I belonged. My obedience was clouded by fear. My worship was driven by insecurity. I wasn’t listening to God; I was trying to outrun comparison.
Paul says something freeing:
“Each one shall bear his own load.”
The word “load” refers to a personal assignment — a pack uniquely fitted for you. Not identical to your neighbor’s. Not lighter or heavier in a comparative sense — just yours.
My mistake was trying to carry someone else’s pack.
Their pace.
Their brain.
Their personality.
Their study system.
Their timeline.
And in doing so, I neglected the one God had given me.
It wasn’t until I was forced to pause — to step back, to sit in the disappointment, to seek God without the noise of performance — that I began to understand something: obedience is personal.
God was not grading me against my classmates.
He was forming me through my journey.
When I stopped copying and started refining what worked for my brain, something shifted. When I stopped trying to appear “hip” or put together and allowed myself to be honest about my struggle, the loneliness began to loosen its grip. When I stopped forcing prayer and simply returned to relationship, peace slowly returned.
Comparison had distracted me from examination.
And examination leads to freedom.
Application
Let me ask you gently:
Are you examining your obedience — or measuring your progress against someone else’s?
Have you been forcing yourself into a system, pace, or identity that was never meant for you?
Is comparison distorting how you see your calling?
You cannot faithfully bear your load while trying to carry someone else’s.
And you were never meant to.
Prayer
Lord, I confess that I look sideways too often.
I measure my journey by what I see around me.
I compare my pace, my progress, my life to others.
And in doing so, I lose sight of what You have entrusted to me.
Teach me to examine my work — not in insecurity, but in obedience.
Help me carry the load You have given me, not the one I’ve tried to borrow.
Free me from performance.
Return me to relationship.
Shape me through my process, at Your pace.
Amen.
Final Reflection
You do not belong because you perform well.
You belong because God called you.
Examine your work.
Carry your load.
Run your race.
And let God do in you what comparison tried to rush.