Can Christians Compete?

My competition meter is off, way off. I had problems with competitive sports as a child, partly because I was out of shape and possibly because I have (had) terrible hand-eye coordination. Speed of thought is not my gift either. Usually I am slow and well thought out. Sports require the ability to think on one's feet. But those are the physical reasons which may actually hide the sinful reason in my heart. I wanted to win and hardly ever did. My brother was a gracious older brother, but when we played games I could never beat him. I think I developed an aversion to competition. This aversion to competition was good but rather insidious. Insidious because what I really did was switch all my competition to areas where others did not care to compete. That makes me the winner because no one else cares. Good for making one unmanageably proud.

(Subtitle reads: That famous harp music plays that shows a panning in time. In this case, to a time about 10-15 years ago.)

Much later as an adult I find out that people, usually my fellow males, want to compete a little just to size each other up. I have a friend who I think is the most competitive man on the face of the earth. He is competitive to the point of competing about being polite. He and I did not get along until we competed and I won. I did not really want to win in a sense because it was not one of my little bastions of pride. However, that helped the two of us get alone.

While competition can be a good way to make friends, I have to be careful in competition since my meter is way off. I can get easily offended or can get too intense and offend others. But the flip side of that is that cooperative spirit is usually found in the feminine gender and males don't want to be viewed as effeminate so they will leave Christianity as something nice for children and women. What is a guy to do? Compete or be called names!

I urge you to go over and read this blog post on Dennis M's Chess Site....


Dennis M's Chess Site: Can Christians Play Chess?: "Can Christians Play Chess?
Obviously they can, because they do! I'm a Christian, and I do. So what I'm really asking is this (at least as a first approximation): can a Christian, as a Christian, play chess without thereby doing something wrong? Here are several arguments to suggest the answer is no:

1. The Christian ought, whenever...." (To read the rest of the story follow the above link.)

Comments

Milton Stanley said…
How well I can relate to your sentiments and strategies. I was terrible at sports growing up and also turned my attentions to competing in things that others weren't competing in. Of course, it was maddening when I would occassionally find someone who *did* compete in one of those areas and was much better than I.

Ironically, I'm a pretty good church-league softball player now that I'm grown. But I struggle with what is really supposed to be going on there on the softball field. We're under pressure to play hard and win, but also under pressure not to play too hard and make it not fun.

Although I like softball (and karate) I try not to compete more than I have to. I figure enough of life is unavoidable competition that I don't need to go looking for more.

Dennnis M's site was a thought-provoking link. Thanks.
7:50 AM
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