No, Everyone Else Isn’t Actually Holier Than You

Ever feel like everyone else is crushing it spiritually while you’re just barely holding it together? Like other people’s prayers open the heavens while yours feel like a text left on “Read”?

Breathe. You’re in good company. Scripture is full of people who struggled, doubted, messed up in spectacular ways… and still ended up in Hebrews 11. So, let’s recalibrate:

1. The Bible Is a Hall of Faith…and a Hall of Fails

You think you’re struggling? Look at this elite lineup of biblical dysfunction:

  • Moses had a wicked temper. (Numbers 20:11)
  • Elijah was kind of an Eeyore at most gatherings. (1 Kings 19:4)
  • Noah overdid it on the wine. (Genesis 9:21)
  • Paul and Barnabas had a ministry-ending argument. (Acts 15:39)
  • And everyone doubted Jesus at some point. Even the resurrected Jesus! (Matthew 28:17)

The Bible isn’t a lineup of untouchable saints—it’s a record of deeply flawed, struggling, real people who still belonged to God.

2. Faith Is Not a Competitive Sport

  • There’s no ranking system in Christianity. No spiritual VIPs, no heavenly Oscars, no one getting a faster response from God because they journal in calligraphy.
  • Jesus told a parable about workers showing up at the last minute and getting the same reward as the ones who worked all day. (Matthew 20:1-16) The ones who showed up early hated that. It made people furious. Which, honestly, is kind of the point.

3. Social Media Is a Lying Liar That Lies

  • Please know that someone’s #blessed post is not the full story.
  • They might be reading Leviticus at sunrise with a fair-trade pour-over… or they might have staged that shot before binge-watching reality TV in their pajamas.
  • Faith isn’t a curated feed. Authentic faith happens when nobody’s watching (Jesus dared us to imagine ourselves in a closet!)

4. The Loudest People Aren’t Always the Deepest

  • You know who had long, loud public prayers? The Pharisees.
  • You know who Jesus said to copy instead? The tax collector in the back whispering, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Not even an Amen. (Luke 18:10-14)
  • Just because someone talks big about faith doesn’t mean they’re living it in any spiritually recognizable way

5. Your Struggles Don’t Mean You’re Doing It Wrong

  • If doubt disqualified you, Thomas wouldn’t have been there when Jesus showed up in John 20.
  • If mental health struggles meant you lacked faith, Elijah wouldn’t have been met by an angel who actually told him to take a nap and eat a snack. (1 Kings 19:5-7)
  • If mistakes meant God was done with you, Peter wouldn’t have been asked to lead the church.

Speaking of Peter…

6. Peter: The Gold Standard of Getting It Wrong

Peter was the disciple with the most main-character energy and the least impulse control.

  • Tried to correct Jesus. Got called Satan. (Matthew 16:22-23)
  • Said he’d die for Jesus. Denied him three times before sunrise. (Luke 22:61)
  • Was so bad at keeping his mouth shut that God interrupted him. (Matthew 17:5)

And still—this is the winner Jesus trusted to be the bedrock of the church. If Peter wasn’t disqualified, neither are you.

7. Jesus Isn’t Grading You on a Curve

  • Comparison kills gratitude.
  • The disciples literally argued about who was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Jesus shut it down real quick.
  • Stop looking at other people’s spiritual lives like a report card. God isn’t handing out gold stars based on performance.

8. “All Put Together” Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit

  • Love, joy, peace, patience… perfectionism is not in the list. (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • Sometimes holiness looks like having your life together. Sometimes it looks like dragging yourself out of bed and asking for mercy.
  • God’s grace is sufficient. Even for your mess.

9. The Point Isn’t Looking Impressive—It’s Trusting Jesus

  • The widow in Mark 12 gave two pennies, and Jesus said she got it right.
  • The thief on the cross had one conversation, and Jesus said he was in.
  • The kingdom is not about optics. It’s about trusting that Jesus is enough.

10. Holiness Is a Lifetime, Not a Sprint

  • Sanctification isn’t an overnight Amazon Prime delivery.
  • If Paul—PAUL—said he hadn’t arrived yet (Philippians 3:12), you can give yourself a little grace.
  • The Christian life isn’t about arriving. It’s about abiding. (John 15:4)

Final Thought: You’re probably better off than you think.

Faithfulness isn’t about being impressive. It’s about showing up. Listening. Trusting. Trying again.

If you’re feeling like everyone else has it figured out, take heart: they don’t. Nobody does. We’re walking this road together. When we can stay there for each other, it becomes, oh, so much more bearable.

And Jesus? Yeah, he’s got it figured out. And he’s got you. That’s enough.