It’s NFL Draft week, so we are days away from teams selecting players they hope will be future starters, All-Pros, and Hall of Famers.

The intricate draft process has many moving pieces as teams try to determine who to draft and when. To help teams prepare and ultimately make the selection when on the clock, they rely heavily on their individually created “draft board.”

All the scouts, GMs, coaches, and front offices collaborate to organize and list the players they want to draft. They give them a grade or a ranking to help decide which round they’d be willing to spend a pick on them, and which player they want more than another.

Teams may eliminate certain players from their draft board because of character, injury concerns, or a perceived lack of fit on their team. They add other players to their “draft board” based on the positions they are targeting or contingent on how they value certain guys.

What’s so fascinating is how every NFL team has a different “draft board” based on their particular perspectives, research, and scouting. Each team uniquely values players and there can be a large spectrum of how scouts project a player’s skills to translate to the next level.

Teams also design their “draft board” with different focuses based on needs or what their current roster is lacking.

The other reality for the wide range of “draft boards” is how teams are at different points in the journey of building a championship team. Some teams may be more willing to take a risk right now while other teams are looking for more proven players in the draft.

While teams should be looking at their own “draft board,” it can be tempting for them to spend too much thought on what the other teams drafting around them are going to do. They might even start down the path of saying, “I wish we had that other team’s pick” or “If only we had more picks, we’d be better off.”

They might also want to compare their “draft board” to other teams, but ultimately each team must concentrate on their specific “draft board” and the draft picks they have.

Although some of their decisions may be affected by what other teams do during the draft, their main focus must be on their “draft board.” At the end of the draft, they will only be responsible for the choices they made when they were on the clock. They must stick to their “draft board” and the plan their team has and not worry about what everyone else is doing.

As we parallel this to our own lives, we know how caught up we can get in comparing ourselves to other people. We often wonder what other people around us are doing and try to look over at their “draft board” to see how ours stacks up.

If we aren’t careful, we can start down the path of saying, “I wish we had that other team’s pick” or “If only we had more picks, we’d be better off.”

This leads us to jealousy, envy, and concern about what other people have that we don’t. The reality is, however, that we have our own “draft board,” which means our own life, calling, gifts, and resources that we’re responsible for stewarding.

We are held accountable for our own “draft picks,” decisions, and actions and must stick to the plan that God has laid out for our lives instead of worrying about someone else’s.

Galatians 6:4-5 (AMP) tells us, “But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another. For every person will have to bear [with patience] his own burden [of faults and shortcomings for which he alone is responsible].”

The truth is, we are all on an individual journey that God has uniquely designed us for and we are each at a different point in that journey.

Depending on how we’re wired, the season we’re in, and the circumstances surrounding us, our “draft board” will look different from someone else’s.

But that’s okay because we should remain focused on God’s will for us without getting caught up in comparison. After all, as followers of Jesus, we’ve been created and called for His purposes and we’re united in serving one another with our different spiritual gifts.

Romans 12:4-8 (ESV) explains, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Today, let’s stick to our own unique “draft board” and be thankful for whatever “draft picks” we’ve been given. Let’s trust God to lead us as He provides us the wisdom, strength, and contentment we need to keep our eyes from drifting with comparison to someone else’s “draft board.”

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for comparing my life to other people and being envious and jealous. Thank you for the unique blessings and gifts You’ve entrusted me with. Please help me to remain focused on what You’ve called me to do and be content in the season You have me in right now. Please fill me with gratitude and joy instead of discouragement and worry. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.