Friend or Foe?

1 Corinthians 3:2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

The spirit of the world is competition, powered by jealousy, envy and pride. As habit would dictate, I self-assess. The mirror of the word is very stark and vivid. My spirituality and ability to discern God's truths are at stake here. And I lament the sinful nature in me.

And yet a question nags at me. I encounter and live in the midst of competition, and totally enjoy it when I watch the World Cup, Federer/Nadal, and mostly, my kids' college football matches. But I also contend with its burrs on my soul, and on my kids. Competition is the bed of pride, because it requires us to compare ourselves by ourselves, rather than by the accurate bar of God's standards. I think back to sibling rivalry, favoritism, early childhood honor rolls and school pressure... High School popularity contests and competing for the attention of "that cute guy at the party"... It goes on and on, and then... the cycle repeats itself in the next generation.

All these centuries, God spectated, nay, suffered to watch our futile efforts at upping our self-worth by belittling others. Woe is me... where is the line? Sadly, as long as we live in this world, we will be both perpetrator and victim. The former is something we can hopefully be made aware of and make efforts to correct. As for the latter, the Lord gave me immediate comfort in Psalm 28.

There is another level of oppressive competition, "those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts(v.3b)." The term neighbor implies a common environment: someone living in your world, doing the same activities, most probably aiming for the same goals. IF we are unwary victims, we can count on the Lord to come to our defense and comfort.