Genesis Chapter 31
Why Do We Feel We Have To Outdo The Other Person?
God’s hand was with Jacob because his uncle Laban had cheated Jacob several times out of selfishness and for wealth. But God caused Jacob’s herd to grow and Jacobs herd to dwindle down because of how Laban treated Jacob. As a result, Laban’s heart and attitude grew bitter against Jacob.
Why do we feel we have to outdo the other person? As a twin, Blain and I were always very competitive. We constantly were striving to be better than one another. More often than not, Blain excelled over me. There were times I was jealous, or angry, or maybe even combative, but other times I truly wanted to see him excel.
Blain ran the half mile in track which is a two lap race. At invitationals he would be in the second heat and at the end of the first lap he would be in last place. But he had a great kick and would end up winning the race. That was always exciting for me to watch and I can truly say that I was proud of him.
What about you? When someone excels over you, how do you respond? Jacob’s Uncle Laban was angry and bitter. I could get down right jealous and angry. Why? Why was I proud of my brother on one day that he excelled but angry with him in another area that he excelled?
God wants to help us by his Holy Spirit to excel and be the best that we can be for Him. He encourages us and empowers us. So why can’t we have that same attitude with others? Perhaps when we see someone excel beyond us, we should encourage them, compliment them, and perhaps even share wisdom that might help them excel even more. God, out of love, wants to do that with us. Perhaps we should do that same thing for others.
