Competition is a two-edged sword. It is a very positive thing in
a free market society because it tends to improve the quality and
cost of products.
Competition is a two-edged sword. It is a very positive thing in a free market society because it tends to improve the quality and cost of products. This is true with everything from computers to cars. Manufacturers learned long ago that if you can build a better mousetrap for less money, you will get a larger portion of the market. That mentality benefits all of us as we enjoy greater value on better products and services. But competitiveness does have its dark side. For example, marketplace competition is sometimes so fierce that it forces people into unethical decisions. And in the field of athletics, where competition has traditionally been a very positive thing, the influx of big money from television revenues and other sources has created a generation of athletes that rarely embrace the old philosophy that “it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
It is this increasingly dark side of competition that concerns me, so for the next couple of weeks we will zero in on three of our most common types of negative competition. Using examples from the life of Jesus, we can learn how Christians should respond. As is so often the case, when we watch and listen to Jesus, several helpful insights emerge.
We’ll start where most of us first experience competition: in our family. Our culture is structured in such a way that it actually promotes a very damaging type of family competition. There is nothing new about this; the same mentality was going strong when Jesus was a child. A passage from John 7 gives us insight into the animosity Jesus’ brothers felt toward him. They used one of biggest Jewish festivals of the year as an opportunity to mock and taunt him. In essence, they challenged both his understanding of Scripture and his own calling.
Jesus, however, refused to be baited into responding negatively toward them. He gently replied that they should just go on without him. His answer to their taunts teaches us how to respond to our own competitive (and sometimes dysfunctional) family members. He knew that nothing short of the resurrection was going change his brothers’ mind about him, so he accepted that and focused on the work God the Father had given him and surrounded himself with a new extended family. He refused to neglect his ministry or waste his time trying to change what couldn’t be changed.
That way of thinking is behind what Jesus said when his mother and brothers came to see him and couldn’t get to him because of the crowds. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you.” Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear the message of God and obey it” (Luke 8:19). To interpret Jesus’ words as being insensitive or uncaring would be a mistake; he never disrespected his family regardless of what they said or did to him. His statements do not mean that family is unimportant or should be ignored, but he did want to emphasize that honoring God is our first priority and family issues or hostility should never cause us to turn away from God.
The next time you are tempted to respond harshly to a family member or act competitively toward them, remind yourself of the bigger picture and respond lovingly and gently toward them instead. Seek first the kingdom of God and you will be amazed at how well things turn out in your relationships with family and everyone else.
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 web site at rollinghillsfamily.com, email
pa*********@ro****************.com
or phone 831-636-5353.
