Game On!

6'5", 210lbs and in the smack dab center of the field. Martin Avey had the ball and 5'9", 115lbs Jo was the only one between him and his goal. Everyone said, "oh she's never gonna be able to take him...don't do it, Jo! He'll kill you!!"

Do you think he got past the halfway line?  HECK NO!

They used to say that I was tenacious on the soccer field... and they all cheered when I got my first yellow card...said it should have come years earlier.

Well what can I say? The ball was always mine and I was never very good at sharing.
.............
Anyone who knows me fairly well knows that I am a highly competitive person. I always have been and I probably always will be. I blame that on my wonderful family that I love dearly. :)
 Game nights in our house were far from the normal family game nights. They usually ended in arguing over someone not playing right, or cheating, or not paying attention, and at least one person being sent to their room and another couple upset at the outcome of the game.
 We would have bike races through the neighborhood, contests to see who could make the biggest waves in the pool, always measuring our height to see who was the tallest, who could make it to the door first, who could make it to the stove first, who could get up the stairs first (okay, okay- that didn't happen till college)...you get the picture. Everything we did was a contest- it kept life interesting.

Now that I'm older (and more mature I might add :P ) I am a completely different person. I let people win. I look for ways to make other people better than me. I try to get other people to win.
And above all, I NEVER get upset when someone beats me at something.

...

Yeah. I wish. What's that saying?

"You can take the girl out of the competition, but you can't take the competition out of the girl"

It's true. I still find myself in constant competition with the people around me. No matter what it is, I strive to be the best.
This has its pros and cons obviously. Depending on how I wield this strength it can inspire me or destroy me.
One of the things that I tend to compare myself to others with is the fundamental mistake of believing that there are "levels" of "good Christians" and depending on how you react to certain situations will dictate if you are a "good Christian" or not.
  In my head, I knew that there was no such thing as a "Good little Christian" (especially when I would help others see the lies in this mindset) but in my heart for some reason, I was giving way to it. I found myself condemning my thoughts, actions, attitudes, struggles, and failures.
The more I condemned myself the lower I fell into depression.

"And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him-
His rage we can endure,
For lo! HIs doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him."

This was a famous passage written by Martin Luther in one of his deepest depressions. He had discovered the victory over the dark one- The Word of God- "...sharper than a two-edged sword..." can conquer the evilest of foes.

"For there is now therefor no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." says Romans 8:1.

I remember my pastor in high school spending quite a bit of time on this verse.
What a thought.

No condemnation.
None.

This is freedom in Christ. There is now therefore no condemnation....no condemnation because each thought, action, attitude, struggle, and failure was already taken care of on the cross. This concept, once grasped and digested into our hearts is the ultimate inspiration to walk humbly with our God.

"When Satan tempts us to despair, and tells us of the guilt within- upward I look and see Him there, who made an end to all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul was counted free!"

Oh blessed thought!

No more earning good favor with Him. No more fear of never being good enough. No more condemnation of not responding correctly. Just freedom. Freedom in the thought that He has already done everything. He's paid the price. He is conquered sin. He has liberated the once enslaved soul to live and sing unto Him for ever and ever.

"And we sing glory to God,
 Glory to God,
 Glory to God forever!
 Glory to God,
 Glory to God,
 Glory to God forever and ever!"

So then...competition...friend or foe? I say friend- when given the proper grace saturated perspective. It pushes us to do better, to do our best.
All the time.
And that goes along with 1 Corinthians 10:31:

"And whatsoever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God."