Earl and I rarely, if ever, compete against each other.
Our church had a Renewal Weekend, and part of the program was a Chili Cook-Off. Earl and I entered the competition. It took Earl about two weeks to realize that he would be competing with me, I, on the other hand was aware of it the moment I entered our names.
I planned, made lists, bought my ingredients. Earl ordered his secret ingredient from Kansas City, MO. We then realized that Earl might have to go out of town the day before the competition and try to get back in time for the renewal services. I got a devil-may-care attitude going. “Honey, what to do? You’ve got to enter your chili because you’ve signed up.” “Oh, and don’t forget they made announcements on Sunday that you and I would be entering.” “Did I mention that they brought it to everyone’s attention again during Wednesday Night Live dinner?”
Competition is not necessarily a bad thing. According to the Bible, competition is a vital component of success. However, left unchecked, competition can also lead to cheating and failure. According to 2 Timothy 2:5 “And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”
Did I mention that I was beginning to feel guilty as I saw him get closer to failure? On the Thursday prior to the cook-off, I called Earl knowing he was under a lot of heavy stress, meetings and pressures, and so I asked him if he wanted me to get his ingredients. I even offered to make it for him if he would tell me how he made his chili. I would be happy to follow his instructions to the letter and make sure his chili got to the cook-off for him.
Jesus Christ’s message to his followers was that they should attempt to help others whom they disagree with rather than to make them even more helpless (Luke 9:51-56). Thus, by focusing on caring for others rather than on competing with them, believers can maintain their own integrity while being of service to those in need.
I care for Earl, and I wanted him to enter his chili. What harm does it do for me to help him out? It’s still a competition, played by the rules. Funny thing was, he then told me that he did not need to go out of town and that he would have time to do his own work on his chili. So let the games begin!
By the way neither one of us won the contest, and I chose the double crock pot before he could do so. His chili turned out a little dry because he didn’t have enough room for the liquid in his single crock pot. Was that cheating or just competing?
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