Can you imagine a best man who wanted more attention than the groom? Picture the bride walking down the aisle with her dad as her husband-to-be wipes away tears at the end of the aisle. But just before the great exchange from father to groom, the best man leaps into the aisle, shakes the dad’s hand, and whispers to the bride, “You look beautiful.” Imagine him cutting in on the first dance: “Don’t mind if I do . . .” That best man would be the worst! Because a wedding is not a competition for attention.

In the Christian life, it’s vital to remember that we’re not the groom. We are more like the friends who celebrate the attention that Jesus and his church receive. John the Baptist said, “The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete” (John 3:29,30). John wasn’t jealous but joyful, because he saw his job was to help Jesus get more attention.

There will be many times in life when God uses other people, and not you, to draw more attention to Jesus. Their church grows (yours shrinks), their ministry thrives (yours barely survives), their lives make an impact (yours goes unnoticed). Friend, that’s okay. God never called you to compete with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead, like John, rejoice that people are paying attention to God’s Son. It’s not about you. It’s all about Jesus!