I grew up in a military family, normally living on Air Force bases with other military families. After high school, I joined the Navy, and for another decade lived/worked amongst people with differing backgrounds, diverse ethnicity, and varying belief systems. The military made little allowance for our differences; once you donned the uniform you were expected to work together toward the greater mission. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but this dramatically affected my understanding of community and family. Even decades later, I still have many friends (and family) who don’t necessarily believe the things that I believe. They grew up differently than I did, their life experience has led them to draw different conclusions than I have, and ultimately they view the world through a different lens than I do. To me, this is not only how it’s always been, but also how it ought to be. This doesn’t mean that we have nothing in common. They love their families, value their communities, and hope to live in peace, just as I do. I find my life is enriched, and my understanding is expanded, by remaining engaged with people who don’t necessarily think, act and live like I do. Thus, I continue to seek the common ground that we all share.
When social media platforms like Facebook emerged, I found them to be a great way to stay connected, especially with friends and family who are literally spread all over the world. At its best, it has allowed us to remain connected in ways we couldn’t have otherwise. No doubt, I want to celebrate their joys with them, and pray for them when they’re in a struggle, and to honor them when they’re gone. But these days there seems to be a lot of pressure to use social media (and every other available platform) as a bully pulpit, where we exalt our preferences, ridicule those who have a differing point of view, and dare people to “Unfriend” us if they don’t like what we have to say. People who refuse to participate in this battle of angry rhetoric are increasingly being criticized for not taking a side, accused of remaining “neutral” on the important issues of the day, and even being compared to those who stood by in Nazi Germany, doing nothing to stop the Holocaust. As it goes with all the other points of view floating around cyberspace, they’re entitled to their opinion, and they’re also entitled to express it, but I don’t find their arguments compelling.
I believe that finding and cultivating the common ground that we share makes for stronger and more united communities. Building and strengthening these bonds of community is an essential first step in addressing the larger social issues we face. Standing on opposite sides of the street, throwing rocks at each other isn’t going to achieve anything other than our eventual destruction. I’m not sure what people think their vitriol achieves, but if posting an angry meme on social media is the extent of one’s activism, they’ve not done much. Getting a bunch of folks, who already agreed with you, to “Like” your post doesn’t really effect change. If there is genuine oppression, it’s going to cost a lot more than some heated words to stand up to it. If we are successful in alienating everyone who doesn’t look, think, and act like we do, we’ll have simply set the stage for civil war. If we want to better understand the issues, we need to engage in meaningful dialogue with people of diverse viewpoints. If we want to battle racism, we need to engage in meaningful relationships with people of other races. If we want to battle poverty, we need to engage in the process of creating opportunities or providing aid to the underprivileged… If we were that committed to change, we’d probably be too busy to spend so much time on Facebook.
Bjcorbin's Blog 
Competitive Edge
Posted in Commentaries, tagged collaboration, community, compare, compete, competitive, cooperation, covet, creation, creator, cultural, design, envy, estranged, floundered, fractured, garden, insecurity, provision, self-worth, survival on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I believe that God revealed His design for all of creation in the Garden. Within this original blueprint there was no strife, or any need to push to the front of the line. Every creature had their place, and He was their limitless provision. Each creation derived its sense of worth and purpose from its unique relationship to the Creator.
Had mankind chosen to remain under the umbrella of His Lordship, unspeakable joy and a peace that surpasses understanding, could have been our daily bread. But the choice to go our own way, and to rely on our own sense of what is right came with significant costs. Not the least of which was the change in how we view ourselves, and how we look at one another.
Unhinged from the Father’s perspective, we lost track of our identity, purpose, and sense of belonging. Without Him as a singular reference point, we began to look at each other, and to measure ourselves by what we saw. I believe it’s telling that after eating the forbidden fruit man and woman covered the parts of themselves that were different from each other.
As mankind was expelled from the garden, life became a struggle for provision and a battle to survive (Gen.3:17-19). Estranged from our limitless Provider, and unseated from our place at His table, we floundered to find our place in the world, or to conjure a sense of self-worth. Our comparisons (to each other) inevitably led to competition, and it didn’t take long for that dynamic to become lethal (Gen.4:8).
Because of man’s natural proclivity to compare, to covet and to compete we seem to have accepted that this is all part of God’s design, but I would suggest that it’s actually a byproduct of the fall. If our identities were rooted in Christ, and if we trusted that He is our provision, there would be no need to compare, covet or compete. As such, I think it’s fair to say that our compulsion to compete is generally rooted in both our insecurity and our instinct to survive.
Western culture has not only accepted competition as a normal part of the human condition, it has embraced it as a core value. Our society loves to turn every facet of life into a contest (e.g. The Voice-singing, The Bachelor-relationships, The Biggest Loser-weight loss, Beat Bobby Flay-cooking, Rock the Block-home renovation…), and we indoctrinate our children into this pattern at an increasingly young age (e.g. Pee-Wee sports leagues starting at 3yrs old). But the reality of competition is that it is most often poisonous in terms of cooperation, collaboration, community and any sort of meaningful relationship.
Perhaps worse than our cultural embrace of this destructive paradigm is its broad acceptance within the Body of Christ. Whether it is wrestling for the lead vocal on the Worship team, or trying to woo congregants from other local ministries, or all the preening and posturing that goes on at church leadership conferences, our religious system is absolutely infested with a competitive spirit, featuring countless “ministries” solely dedicated to discrediting other ministers and ministries.
Though the followers of Jesus were meant to be identifiable based on their great love for one another (John 13:35), we “Christians” routinely struggle to gather together without all manner of envy and strife. But if love is patient and does not envy. If it is not self-seeking and keeps no record. If it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres (1Cor.13:4-7), then there is no context in which it can be competitive. And without love, we have nothing and are nothing (1Cor.13:2-3).
God commanded that we refrain from covetous (or coveting) and if we hope to be obedient to that standard we must also resist our natural urge to compare and to compete. We need to take a hard look (i.e. through spiritual eyes) at our ideas about competition, and to examine them in light of what the scripture teaches. If we continue to view competition through the lens of culture, the church will remain fractured in much the same way our society is.
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