OVERCOMING DISTRACTION (10): REFUSE TO GET INTO UNNECESSARY COMPETITIONS

As we walked towards the car that evening, Olive ran ahead to the car. As we got to the car, she called out to her sister and me, saying, “I got to the car first.” Danielle’s response was simple but profound. She said to her, “I am not in competition with you.”

If you will overcome distraction, you must get rid of that strange pattern of unhealthy competition. It is absolutely unnecessary. Once a man is overwhelmed with competing, there are things he will lose sight of. 

Let’s begin with Adam and Eve trying hard to become like God when they were already made in the image of God. They lost everything in trying hard to become who they were already. When their eyes opened, they were already stripped naked. 

How about Cain? He was blinded by competition. Instead of asking Abel what he did that made him excel in the sight of God, he resorted to competitive jealousy. He killed Abel. There are many fighting those they should be seeking answers from. There is a generation that kills their “Abels.” Do not get distracted by competition. 

Competition will distract you. Leah and Racheal got into unhealthy competition over their husband, Jacob. You only need to see the extent to which people will go to prove to others that they are better than them. They went to the extent of handing over their housemaids to Jacob so they could score cheap goals. Terrible! It does not end well. It led to a fragmented family. The sons of Leah ended up selling the son of Racheal. Have you checked out the motive behind their names before? You need to check it out. 

This is the motive for Reuben: “So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

Genesis 29:32 NLT

For Simeon: “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

Genesis 29:33 NLT

For Levi: “Surely this time, my husband will feel affection for me since I have given him three sons!”

Genesis 29:34 NLT

For Judah, She eventually decided to praise God: “Now I will praise the Lord!” 

Genesis 29:35 NLT

But that praise and thanksgiving short-lived the moment she got into competition with Rachael again. 

Rachael gave her maid to Jacob, and when the second son landed, she could not hide the competition: 

Welcome Naphtali: “Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!””

Genesis 30:8 NLT

Leah fell into the trap and abandoned her praise to God to get her housemaid into the game also: 

“Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.”

Genesis 30:9 NLT

It is a strange cycle. This is not how God ordained you to live. You do not need the latest gadgets to prove a point to anyone. Calm down. Be secure in who God has made you. Life is a journey. Be patient. Stop unnecessary competition. 

© temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa