Competition Tainted By Sin

Competition is an excellent use of the skills and gifts God has given us, his children, but the problem is that competition, like everything else in God's creation, has been tainted by sin. Competition can lead to fitness, expenditure of excess energy, teamwork, as well as fun that can't be found in any other activity. On the other hand, competition can also lead to arguing, non-constructive criticism of teammates, and violence. This is sinful competition.

I sincerely believe that Christians should indeed take part in competition; however, the attitude inspired by competition particularly on the Redeemer teams has troubled me. As a Christian university, we should be the examples of healthy, God-given competition. Instead, it doesn't take much to notice the criticism, trash talking, and swearing that are incredibly prevalent on our Redeemer teams.

While I don't like to use the clichéd "winning isn't everything", those who use the phrase do have a point. The essence of competition is the goal of winning, which is good. Nothing annoys me more than a player in a competitive sport who doesn’t care about winning; but, healthy competition means trying to win, and not becoming angry about losing. While competition can be a great rush of adrenaline, for some it leads to an overabundance of testosterone, where players blame each other for not trying hard enough or not having a better skill set, or even suggesting that teammates should leave the game because they are useless. Losing in a competition should lead to a resolution to try harder next time, instead of a chaotic mess of blame, anger, and ill-will.

Again, let me say that I firmly support Christians participating in competition, but you need to know yourself. A player needs to know if they are able to participate in healthy competition and if they can't, then competition is not for them. But, if they can leave the game and its results on the field, then they most definitely should participate. How can you tell what kind of competitor you are? Ask yourself one simple question: Can I praise God with what I am doing?

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