Competition can be a very positive thing in a free market society because it tends to improve the quality and cost of products.
The person who builds a better or less-expensive mousetrap will reap the profits, and so will all of us who buy it. So competition can be a very good thing, but there is a dark side to the nature of competitiveness.
It can become so intense that people lose their sense of fairness and justice and become consumed with winning at any cost.
Most of us have seen the ugly side of competition up-close-and-personal in our own families, and any of us who have embarked upon careers have seen the extremes to which competition will push some people.
Many of us fear that in this “dog-eat-dog” world, our competitors are looking at us like we are wearing Milkbone underwear! So we decide that we should “do unto others as they do unto us,” or even “do unto others before they do unto us,” and we set off to do whatever it takes to be at the top of the business-world food chain.
For those of us who are prone to think that way, Jesus has a question. He asks what it profits us to gain the whole world if we lose our soul in the process. He once told the story of a rich man who had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.
In fact, his barns were full and overflowing. So the rich man said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones.
Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘Self, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ “But God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who gets your barn full of goods?”
That’s what happens when you fill your barn with self and not with God. A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:16-21).
Did you catch that last statement? We must never forget that our top priority is to be our relationship with God; this matters more than all the wealth and fame we could amass in an entire lifetime of cutthroat competition.
Which of the following three basic approaches to competition best describes you?
Some of us live by what might be called the “Iron Rule.” Whatever it takes to succeed, we are willing to do.
If others get in the way of our promotion or bonus, too bad for them; they will end up as one more piece of roadkill on the corporate highway.
Others of us live by what might be called the “Marshmallow Rule.” We view ourselves as unworthy and we never voice our opinion. We just take what we are given at work, at home, and everywhere else.
But there is an alternative to the Iron Rule and the Marshmallow Rule, and it is known as the “Golden Rule.”
It simply says that I will treat others the same way I would want them to treat me if the situation was reversed.
Consider a God-honoring response to the dark side of competition. Make a commitment to yourself and God to not participate in a “dog- eat-dog” world (it is not the only option!).
For me, the primary trouble with joining the rat race is that you have to grow a tail.
Instead, opt to take the road less traveled. Refuse to make decisions in your career, relationships or finances that compromise your integrity.
And treat other people graciously, even when they have misunderstood or maligned you.
I know, I know… easier said than done. That’s why we all need to “practice” Christianity.
Henry Harris is Senior Pastor of Rolling Hills Community Church, 330 Tres Pinos Rd, Hollister, CA. If you have questions or comments, please visit the church’s website at rollinghillsfamily.com, email pa*********@ro****************.com or phone 831-636-5353.
