Our world seems to be afraid of competition. We don't want to declare winners and losers. To me, competition has been one of the greatest lessons athletics taught me. If you play sports long enough. you're going to lose. If you stick to it, you'll probably win some thrilling competitions. Heartbreak and heroics. Crushing losses and exhilarating wins. The agony of defeat and the thrill of victory. Competition teaches us a healthy disdain for losing. It pushes us to do and be our best. It drives us toward improvement. It narrows our focus.
The reason I think competition is so healthy is that the greatest and most important competition is with ourselves. It is easy to become complacent and lazy with ourselves. But this isn't the path God would have for us. God desires us to mature and be our best with each step we take on the journey. We are in competition to take the next step in our faith, in our courage, and in our trust with Him.
After a while, any athlete learns that the games were just games. They don't count in real life. Marriage, raising children, relationships, impacting our community, and our relationship with God are what really count. The competition is to be the best version of us in the games that really count -- in life.
One of my favorite verses is Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." That's the heart of competition with ourselves. Don't short change the ones you love by being the most 'okay' person you can be. Compete. Be the best version of you. There will be losses. Dust yourself off and get to work the next day.
They will not televise your victories or competitions. But competing with yourself to being the best you that you've ever been is far more important than any medal. So give that mistake you made the Michael Phelps stank-eye and get to work the next day.
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