I love competing with a true competitor. I enjoy being stretched to my limits in a contest, win or lose! Squash, golf, basketball, work, or even eating is fair game! The common element is someone engaged in life with everything they have. The fact is that “the empty-headed treat life as a plaything; the perceptive grasp its meaning and make a go of it.” (Proverbs 15.21)
When you find someone participating in life this way it is easy to see why they are good at what they do. The results show up everywhere. During the past few days I have met a person who specializes in painting Harley motorcycles; amazing work and a powerful witness for good. I shared dinner with a person who knows how to make a snack cake better, cheaper, and faster than any of his competitors; the quiet competitive streak comes out in his commitment to God as well.
The contrast with those who are just trying to get by is stark; the comparison to those exploiting the edges to their advantage ugly. When one stands back and observes it is easy to see who is putting the most into life, giving away unreservedly, and getting the most as a result. These are the heroes of life! The people who are aware of the meaning of integrity, accountability, and honesty know what it is to really live. Those who take a different approach merely brush what could really be theirs, glimpse what might be their experience, or briefly experience the beginning of the potential of real living.
Ironically, it is easy to compete against another but never engage in this thing we call life. It is almost as if we expect life to be giving to us exactly as we image it should be. The problem with this approach is that we have no idea of just how awesome, wonderful, and rich life can and should be! God does. God knows our potential and has arranged everything for us; we can live fully and completely starting with the moment of our “yes”.
