Still Blooming: A Creative Reflection on Comparison, Identity & Imperfection
Introduction
Have you ever scrolled through social media and felt a pang of inadequacy? Maybe you watched another Christian woman share her faith in a way that felt so polished, so vibrant, so different from how you show up. This week, that happened to me. And it stirred something deep. Not just comparison, but a questioning of identity.
In this blog, I want to share my personal story—an encounter with comparison, a Spirit-led art journaling process, and the freedom that comes from remembering who God says I am. I’ll also reflect on biblical truths about comparison, including insights I gleaned from another Christian woman online who vulnerably shared her own struggle with this.
The Trigger
It started with a scroll. One cheerful, bubbly, sing-songy Christian woman on my feed, and suddenly I felt small. "I’m not like that," I thought. "I can’t do that." I don’t sound like her. I don’t present like her. I questioned if I was even doing this right.
I know I’m not the only one who feels that. The silent shame that says: "You’re not the right kind of Christian woman." Not polished enough. Not joyful enough. Not enough.
But God interrupted those thoughts.
He whispered, "I didn’t ask you to be her. I made you to be you."
The Art That Spoke Back
That same day, I painted. It was loose. Unfinished. Imperfect. A bouquet in progress. I stitched a scrap of fabric into the piece as a vase. The creases, the mess—they mirrored how I felt. And I realised: this piece was a reflection of me. Still blooming. Not finished. But still beautiful.
This is the kind of art we do inside The Creative Sanctuary during our co-create sessions—a space where women show up with all their mess, creativity, and faith. Together, we reflect, create, pray, and remind each other: God isn’t looking for perfection. He delights in the process.
SHAPE: Your Unique God-Given Design
That night, I shared with the women in our membership Rick Warren’s acronym SHAPE:
S – Spiritual Gifts
H – Heart
A – Abilities and Achievements
P – Personality
E – Experiences
We all have a different SHAPE. Different lives, different voices, different timelines. Your SHAPE is no accident. And it’s certainly not a mistake.
Biblical Truths That Set Us Free
A fellow Christian creator shared that comparison is often rooted in envy and people-pleasing. That stung—but it was true. Sometimes my comparison isn’t just about admiration. It’s about wanting what someone else has. Their ease, their audience, their energy.
But when I recognised it as envy, I remembered:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." – 1 John 1:9
Comparison doesn’t just make us feel inferior. It pulls our eyes away from faithfulness and onto performance. But God hasn’t called us to copy anyone else’s assignment. He has called us to steward our gifts, our story, our journey.
"Well done, good and faithful servant." – Matthew 25:21
Not "well done, famous one." Not "well done, polished one." Just faithful.
The Power of Celebration
One powerful practice I’m learning? Celebrate the women you're tempted to compare yourself to.
Not from a place of spiritual pride, but in humility. When we bless what God is doing in someone else’s life, it opens our eyes to what He’s already doing in ours.
A Gentle Invitation
So today, I want to ask you:
Where have you been comparing yourself lately?
What part of your own SHAPE have you hidden or downplayed?
What would it look like to create, share, or speak as you?
Let me leave you with this:
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." – Philippians 1:6
You don’t need to be louder.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to be you.
Want to Experience This Through Art?
Join me for my next free Creative Calm Workshop:
Drawn to Peace: A Prayerful Zentangle Workshop✨ A live, Spirit-led session where we combine Zentangle patterns with prayer, reflection, and journaling.
📅 Thursday 28th August at 8:00 PM UK / 3:00 PM Eastern⏳ Replay available for 24 hours only👉 Save your free spot here: https://creativesoulspace.com/zen25
Let’s stop striving. Let’s start creating from a place of grace.
You are unfinished. And that is sacred.
