Testimony Tuesday: From comparison to contentment

Megan Deets

“It doesn’t matter what other people are doing as long as you are doing what you are called to do.”

In high school, Amanda Yancey, a sophomore nursing major, was consumed by comparing herself to those around her. She struggled to find her identity in Christ instead of finding it in measuring up to other people. But through God’s faithfulness, she learned that his grace is all that she needs.

Yancey grew up in the town of Canby, Oregon. Oregon is a state with few professing Christians, and there are few churches there in comparison to the rest of the United States.

“In Portland, everywhere you look the brokenness is evident, especially when it comes to the issue of homelessness and drug abuse,” Yancey said. 

Despite the lack of believers in Yancey’s area, she was raised by her parents and alongside her older sister in a strong Christian home.

“I feel very blessed to be raised the way that I was,” Yancey said. “It was very helpful in gaining knowledge of God and the Bible.”

Yancey was saved when she was 4 years old, and she doesn’t recall a dramatic moment of salvation. She remembers baking cookies with her mom before Valentine’s Day and somehow the topic came up. 

“I think I was more scared of going to hell than I wanted to accept Christ,” Yancey said. 

It wasn’t until late middle school that Yancey began to desire a deeper relationship with the Lord. This change began when God led her family to a different church. 

Their new church’s sermons went through specific books of the Bible expositionally, instead of doing topical studies. This sparked a desire in Yancey to go to church because she wanted to hear more about God, and not because it was what her family did.

Throughout her life, Yancey’s older sister Allison has been one of her biggest role models, as well as her best friend. 

However, in high school, Yancey began to negatively compare herself to other people, especially her older sister. The voices of others influenced her view of herself as well.

“Having other people tell me how much better she was than me weighed on me,” Yancey said. 

During her senior year, Yancey struggled with her mental health. Not only was her sister no longer living at home with her, but she found it hard to enjoy a sport that she had always loved. 

Yancey started swimming when she was 6 years old. She swam for both a club and her local high school and was the school team captain her senior year. She was also good friends with several of the other team members. 

But swimming was challenging for Yancey that last year of high school. 

“Being left alone every practice, for like two hours, with just me and my thoughts, was hard. It was a dark time for me,” she said. 

But God continued to remind Yancey of his faithfulness as she approached the end of her senior year and started deciding what college to attend. She received multiple offers from schools that wanted her to be a part of their swim teams, but she sensed that God had something different planned for her. 

“I was just really confused about what I should be doing and where I should be going,” Yancey said. 

After praying and thinking through the decision, she came to the conclusion that the swimming season of her life was over. Instead of swimming competitively, she chose to come to Cedarville where she could be exposed to biblical teaching that would grow her relationship with God. 

Cedarville’s distance from home would also allow Yancey to gain some independence. Living farther away would allow her to more clearly separate her future from her past. 

“I relied on my sister so much growing up, and I kind of wanted to be my own person,” Yancey said.

Even before Yancey moved onto Cedarville’s campus, God gave her a little glimpse of the new life he had for her. 

On the plane to Ohio for freshman year, Yancey ended up having to sit separately from her family. She felt the Holy Spirit convicting her to share the gospel with the man she was sitting next to. When they had almost arrived at their destination, she shared the gospel with him.

It was an awkward conversation, but Yancey knew that she had planted a seed in his heart despite his dismissal. 

After sharing the gospel, Yancey reminded herself that through the power of God, “I can do hard things.” 

Soon after she arrived at Cedarville, Yancey broke down and cried when she called her sister. Her family felt very far away in that moment. Her sister cried with her, reminding Yancey of how much her sister loves her. But even more, it reminds her that God’s never-ending love is always with her. 

During her freshman year, Yancey became involved in a discipleship group on campus. The group helped her to form relationships with other students, and her discipleship leader (DL) was an influential mentor for her.

In her sophomore year, Yancey stepped into a new leadership role at Cedarville. 

“I was not at all wanting to be a DL,” Yancey said, but her DL from freshman year encouraged her to apply.

Now, she is leading a discipleship group through Romans. 

“It makes you rely on him [God] in a different way than I have in the past,” Yancey said. 

One of the things that Yancey is learning is humility. It can be hard when she doesn’t have an answer to a question from a group member, or she doesn’t know the best way to phrase an answer. 

“It’s okay when you don’t know the answers,” Yancey said, “because the Holy Spirit will reveal the answers when it’s needed.” 

Yancey realizes that it doesn’t matter that she’s not enough because Christ is enough for her. 

“He was gracious enough to save me,” Yancey said. 

Remembering this message of grace helps her to keep her focus on God and off of others. Looking back on God’s faithfulness in her life continues to remind her that she is not defined by anything other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Megan Deets is a freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student. Some of the things that she loves are new notebooks, fresh fruit and musicals.