And they said a little competition never hurt nobody.

Lets just throw this out there; I'm competitive.
And it doesn't just stop there.
I am bold enough to say that I'm R E A L L Y competitive.
The saying "Go hard or go home" isn't taken lightly with me.
I like to play with everything I've got & I like to win.
However, I do understand that there is always going to be someone in the world better than me.
That being said, although they are better than me, I will still try my hardest that way I can say I gave it my all.
Its called healthy competition.

But my eyes have been opened to something that is so bothersome to me.
Its ugly.
Its horrendous.
Its unhealthy competition.

You ask, "How do you mean?"
Well let me explain....

I feel like there is a sense of developing competition when it comes everyday life.
You're always striving to "one up" someone,
look better,
act better,
be better...

I know people who will chase after their friend's crush just to be better.
Its ridiculous.
Its unhealthy.

Its to the point where you lose the sense of who you are and take on the sense of who you are in regards to someone else.

Lets take it to the next level...
People are becoming competitive in their walk with Christ.
its appalling.
Your relationship with the Father is not a rat race,
and if you base it off of that fact, let me tell you the outcome:
you lose.
And you lose by a landslide.
Because when you live your life in Christ competitively,
you're not living a life in Christ at all.
You're faking your whole relationship.
Living not for the Father, but for yourself.

And I'm willing to bet that He's appalled too.

However, there is a healthy competition when it comes to your relationship with God.
The twist is that its not with someone who goes harder than you do,
its with yourself.
You're going against yourself.
You push and push in your walk,
constantly trying to be better than the day you were the day before.
Absorb more of His word than you did the week before.
Spend more time with Him than you did the month before.
Do that, and you'll go farther with Him than you did the year before.
Go 100% for the Lord, and the next time go 110%.
Constantly strive for Him.
Set goals for yourself, and feel the sense of accomplishment when you exceed them.

Quit trying be better than everyone else.
Stop living a life based off a lie.
You may be fooling a man, but you're not fooling THE Man.

Its time to stop pretending and start getting real.
Dont try to be better than them,
be better than you.
This life is a race,
full of obstacles,
heaped with hurdles,
turns and twists,
who is going to win,
the old you:
who falls into traps, and strives for all the wrong things,
or the new you,
who knows your weaknesses and strives to overcome?
The choice is yours,
and the only one stopping you is yourself.

-A.