No Rival, No Equal

Share this post

Raised by first-generation immigrant grandparents, I often refer to my Italian heritage by speaking in Italian to my children. The Italians seem to have a stronger sense of pride than my Irish side of the family. Even though I have blonde hair, burn easily and have a maiden name that reflects the sheep herding side of my family, I identify most with the Italians.

I wanted to learn more about my European roots. Papa came from a village in Italy. But details on the Irish side remained unclear. I turned to ancestry.com in search of answers. As I started to read my genetic results, I realized how unprepared I was for the results. The surprise wasn’t from the Irish side. Instead it came from the Italian side. Rather, the lack of Italian side. Only four percent Italian blood ran through my veins. How could that be?

From DNA testing results, I realized that my Italian side of the family—Croatians, Russians and Greeks—were wanderers. Several generations lived in the southern part of Italy before emigrating to America. I wasn’t much Italian at all and, as silly as this sounds, that knowledge rocked my identity.

I grew up visiting an Italian bakery daily for fresh bread. Every Sunday we ate a special sausage purchased at an Italian deli. Early each December we started making pizzelles to gift to family and friends at Christmas. Yet, here it was in black-and-white. The majority of my heritage was not Italian.

I felt discouraged and defeated. Turning off a pasta sauce simmering on the stove, I retreated to the bathroom to cry. I had so much of my identity wrapped up in being Italian that I didn’t know what it meant to not be Italian.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’ve felt insignificant at times in your life, times when your worth seemed wrapped up in something external. I find myself in that place often. I feel like I don’t measure up and the enemy uses those moments to whisper, “Just give up.”

In that place of defeat, I began to worship, afraid to even speak my feelings aloud. Then I started to simply offer my hurting heart to the One who made it. As I sang along to a familiar song, a phrase caught my attention. You have no rival, no equal. The Holy Spirit pressed those words into my heart and I repeated them. Yes, Lord. You have no rival, no equal.

The familiar voice of the Father met me: “You misunderstand, beloved. You have no rival, no equal.”

My eyes burned with overflowing tears. The Lord spoke to my hurt. He brought to mind several places in the Word to explain. I sense that He wants you to know this, too.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27, NIV). You are made in God’s image. Do your children look like you or do you know children who look like their parents? All of my daughters look like me. Children resemble their parents because they have their parents’ blood running through their veins. The Lord reminded me that as His daughter, I was created in His image.

Next, I read Nahum 1:2 (GNT), which reads The LORD God tolerates no rivals. I know this. I know that God has no rivals. But I never considered that, because He has no rivals, I also have no rivals. Neither do you.

I turned then to Ephesians 2:10 (ESV), a verse I often teach on. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. You are His workmanship. There is no one equal to you. He created you uniquely and on purpose.

As I pondered how these words spoke to my aching heart, I realized these words are not just for me. They are also for you.

You are not what you think you are…defeated…discouraged. You are made in God’s image because He gave you life. That’s your genetic make-up. If He has no rival or no equal, then you have no rival, no equal.

In a world where we compare and feel like we don’t measure up, walk in confident that you were created as precious in His sight. You have no rival, no equal.

Rachael Groll