Episode 325: I’m Talkin. . .Compete

I’m talking episode 325 for July 7th, 2024.

This is Joel from the I’m talking microcast, where I share my thoughts on the topic that has piqued my interest this past week.

This week we’re talking compete.

So this week I thought I would start with the definition again, and I, I found a pretty good one that I liked in it.

It says strive to win by establishing superiority over another who is striving for the same.

I think that’s a pretty good fit for compete in that, in, in whatever it is that we are competing for, we are striving to win.

And I think that’s okay.

And I think that’s a normal occurrence in the world in which we live and not only that, but I think it’s a good thing.

I think that the fact that there are winners and losers, that there is a place where we can compete whether it be at work, whether it be in sports, whatever the situation is, I think it’s both normal and good, but at times in the world, it gets twisted because the cost that you pay for your competition for competing improperly is great.

And therein lies the challenge for those of us who call ourselves Christians.

As Christians, we often need to compete.

We are often in situations just like the rest of the world, where if we roll over, then we were bypassed for a spot on a team, for a promotion at work, whatever it is.

And as Christians, we have the responsibility, maybe even the, well, we have the right to and maybe even the responsibility to compete and we can do it properly.

And it should look different for those of us who call ourselves Christians because the motive that we have, the example that we have, the guide to the everyday of our lives is not that we roll over, that we don’t stand up, that we don’t compete, but that we do it differently.

So what does it look like as a Christian when you compete for something?

Well, I think the first thing that you see is there’s a respect for the opponent.

It’s not a compete to win at all costs.

It’s not a compete to humiliate.

It’s not a compete to rub their nose in the loss.

It’s a compete as a respect for the person that you’re up against, for the other team that you’re up against, for whatever the situation may be.

And there’s a good respect for that competition and the person that you’re competing with.

And then I also think that there is grace.

One of my son’s Little League coaches, and he was not a Christian, but he told the kids, when you lose, you say little, and when you win, you say nothing.

And that’s kind of what I mean by respect.

And then I also think that there has to be grace.

And I think grace is something that is given in that you not necessarily feel sorry for the other person, but in the respect of what they’ve done to compete, you also are not lording it over them.

You are showing them grace through the respect.

And as a Christian, we compete above reproach.

We do not do anything underhanded to try to win.

We examine the cost, and if the cost is too high, we may not compete.

If the cost is too much, we may not compete.

And so looking at respect and grace and reproach and cost is all part of how we compete as Christians.

Until next week, this is Joel from the I’m Talking Microcast.

Thanks for watching.

I’ll see you next week.