Growing up and through most of my teen years, I was the most competitive person you would have ever met.  Ask any of my friends or family. I had to win at everything. Ricky Bobby once said, “If you’re not first, you’re last” and I used to agree completely with him. When I was eight I ran full speed into my house and almost gave myself a concussion because I had to beat my older brother in a race. I would have to beat my little sister (who was six at the time) at Pretty Pretty Princess. I had a problem, no doubt about it.

 

However, as I have grown up I have realized the futility that is paired with winning. I have realized the pride that accompanies it.

 

Since my eyes were opened to the emptiness that was filled within me, I have been on a constant journey to rid myself of my pride. It is a constant issue with which I struggle. Right when I think I’m doing good, I begin to be prideful about not being prideful and I begin to go through the cycle all over again.

 

My title is a really half-baked idea; maybe even only quarter-baked. That being said, let me try to explain myself.

 

When there is a competition, there is a winner and loser(s). Pretty straight forward. The goal is to win, correct? If our goal is to win, our goal is to be better than someone else. It is to be the best on that field or court or whatever the competition may be. We want to be better than someone else and I feel like that is what puts us on the pathway to pride.

 

Now if you’re playing dodgeball and the goal is to have fun, I am all for that. But when does that goal cross over from having fun to trying to win? Maybe it is when you get all upset over when you get out. Maybe it is when you think you hit someone and they say they weren’t hit and you yell at them to stop cheating. Maybe it is when you yell at your teammates to do better, or maybe it is something else entirely. i have one question though, are those all acts of Christ? Or, what about when people don’t want to play because they think that they aren’t good enough to play with you and will get made fun of if they do? How is Christ being shown in any of those scenarios? This is something that I struggle with and these are questions that I ask myself when I play sports.

 

As a Christian, my goal should boil down to me trying to look more like Christ every day. When I am consciously aware of that goal, my actions seem to be different than in those times when I forget it.

 

I went to a Christian college and we had five different sports teams (I think). I worked a lot so I couldn’t attend as many games as I would have liked to and support my friends, however, I was able to attend a about a dozen total over my two years. After every single game I was embarrassed to be a student. The way our fans, players, and student body reacted during those games was appalling. I played in intramural basketball in the spring and the way some guy’s competitive edge got ahold of them showed no resemblance of Christ to me.

 

Maybe I am overstepping my bounds here. I am just asking you to think with me and to self-examine.

 

I was one of the most competitive guys around so I know what it is like. Ask anybody who knows me. I am not some sports hater. However, I am someone who tries to pursue holiness with everything I have. Maybe that pursuit is leading me away from being so competitive. After all, we are told throughout the Scripture, specifically Paul’s letters, to be humble. And the first of the seven deadly sins is pride.

 

I am not sure about you, but I am going to flee from a life of immorality and pursue a life of righteousness. I desire to pursue a life that looks like Jesus as best as I can.

 

I am not bashing sports. I know that people bond and that stuff is great.  I am here critiquing our focus as we participate in those sports. What is the god of your life? I know for me, at one point, my god was victory.

So I pose the question to you, should Christians be competitive? For me, right now, I would have to say no.

Maybe I am wrong and you see where being competitive is good. I am all for listening to it. After all, this is half-baked with Mason.

 

Shalom.