Competition

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tely I have been reflecting on the key attributes of human behavior. I want to understand what is universally true of all mankind and what that means to how I live my life and raise my kids. To know these things allows the person to get in front of the problem and prevent damage from it rather than wait for the damage to first happen.

One of the truths about mankind is that we are all competitive. Andrew Carnegie referred to it as “the law of competition”. Competition has abounded in every society throughout history. I believe this is closely knitted with the problem of pride.

On a daily basis, our girls demonstrate this law of competition. In fact, armed with this knowledge, I can often get our girls to do just about anything by catering to their desire to be first in whatever they do. When I want them to get ready for bed I will say something like “The first one to get in pajamas, brush their teeth, and get into bed is the winner!” Most of the time this works and all of a sudden both girls are in a mad rush throughout the house. Brooklyn, since she is twice the age of Bailey, is much quicker at this. So, I sometimes have to exercise what the U.S. government would call “Antitrust Measures” in order to make the playing field a little more fair. So, sometimes I restrain Brooklyn and sometimes I give her extra tasks she has to do. When Bailey wins because of this, Brooklyn cries foul and a lot of drama ensues. If Brooklyn wins then a lot of drama ensues. So, there is no way around the final outcome. Someone always has to win and someone always has to lose. There is no way around it. Or is there? Is there a way to create a win-win situation for everybody?

A few years ago I went white water rafting with my dad and father-in-law. My dad explained how the Deschutes river had two competing railways on each side of the river. The first one to complete their line would win the contract and the other would get basically nothing. So, an army of men were brought in to get these railways built as quickly as possible. As the project went on, each side attempted to sabotage each other. Law enforcement was frequently called out to stop fights, and at times, all out battles. Eventually one side won the contract but not until much time and money had been used. But, this law of competition was able to get the project accomplished quickly, but again there was a loser.

In our capitalist country, the law of competition is so much a part of our lives. Billions of dollars are spent each year to sell you on an idea of why something as insignificant as a burger is better than another. The same is true of our political parties. Much money is spent on degrading the other candidate and building up a particular candidate. This is a more significant matter than what kind of burger you will eat, but doesn’t it seem like there is something wrong with how inefficient it all is? As inefficient as it is, it is still the prevalent kind of market in the world today because it is being true to how humans truly behave. People are productive when they want to be first. But the efforts of the losers are wasted along the way and disunity rules.

So, what would a perfect economic system look like? Look no further than the church! In the kingdom of Christ, there is no loser! This is an amazing economic model. We are one body and we do not compete against each other. We don’t hold elections and campaigns to see who will be the new Elder. The congregation submits to the leadership’s authority over them and as a result, things get accomplished quickly and effectively. When we have a church barbecue, there isn’t a competing hotdog vendor on the other side of the church that is saying he will throw in a free drink if you go to them instead. We have no shareholders to report to. But isn’t the Law of Competition still alive in the members of the church? Absolutely. All of us, deal with the need to be the best at something. But instead of fighting against each other to the top, we build each other up and collaborate in order to accomplish great things. Here is probably the best part: we are doing it all for free! You don’t have to pay the congregation to do all this work. They do it as a service to God because of our recognition of what He has done for us.

So if the church model is so great, then why is the church not thriving as it should be? My thinking is that the church is a strong yet wild ball of energy that must be harnessed and directed. Many are willing to serve freely and effectively but they first need a mission and a plan on how to do it. Candice and I have been fascinated with the accomplishment of Mars Hill Church in the Seattle area. Here is a church that is growing rapidly in spiritual maturity and in volume of people. They have a vision and a plan to utilize the willing congregation’s talents in order to carry out the vision. 

In Ecclesiastes, the writer who is believe to be Solomon, speaks of everything being vanity. Why do we feel the need to be the first? Why do we feel the need to put down others to make ourselves look better? In the end the rich will die just like the poor and the memory of us will soon be gone. It's all meaningless. Our measure of success should never be based on anything under the sun. If we want to be great in God's kingdom then we must be the servant of all. The last shall be first and the first shall be last.  When we begin to practice this, the church will grow rapidly and more effectively than any other economic model that the world has ever seen.