Competing Forces

How competitive are you? I am way more competitive than anyone should ever be. And my children, well, the apple didn’t fall far. Around ten years ago, I banned my family from playing putt-putt at the beach because of excessive competitiveness. I’m talking about people picking their clubs up and threatening to use them as weapons. And no adult intervention was happening because my husband and I were deep in the battle as participants. We were well past the point of adult intervention and almost to the point of being removed from the putt-putt park. Once we were all back in the car and everyone’s competitiveness was back in check, I declared then and there that we would never return to a putt-putt park until we had all matured. Presently, we are all still trying to mature enough to play putt-putt. 

Another incident where my competitiveness got the best of me happened recently at school. The principal wanted to reward our students for working hard on all their tests. So, he decided to provide a free school-wide dance to all students. One Friday afternoon, all the teachers and students headed to the gym for a bit of boogie time. Of course, a few teachers were on the floor trying to motivate and encourage students to dance and have fun. Line dances such as the Electric Slide are always a hit, and it’s a dance we “older” folks can do with the younger generation. Or so I thought.

A group of young girls had gathered around a fellow teacher and myself teaching us some of the moves to a song. The next thing I knew, the song repeated, “How low can you go?” And the girls instructed us to twist until we squatted on the ground. I initially thought, “Yeah, I made it!” Then the song starts repeating something like, “How high can you climb?” That’s when I realized I was in trouble because now I was expected to twist my fifty-one-year-old self back up from a squat to a stretching high-in-the-sky position. I was quickly reminded of Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”

So, let me just say if you see pictures in the social media world, or someone tells you I was twerking at the middle school dance, just laugh about it. I was twisting, turning, and moving every body part I could to get myself up off the floor without having to call for assistance. When I looked at the other teacher, who is also my age, she was “twerking” like me, just trying her best not to admit defeat. Once the dance was over, we walked away as fast as we could. We both needed space to lick our wounds in privacy. My friend was concerned her knees had gone out of place, and I was worried the nuts and bolts were no longer in the correct areas of my neck! 

Let me just tell y’all, these two ole gals were twisting, turning, “twerking” whatever they could to get back up from the floor without anyone knowing they were dying. I swear, I think both of us would have torn ligaments, ripped muscles, whatever it took to keep those young girls from knowing the ole gals were hurting! That’s competition to a whole new level! 

Competition is a potent emotion. I know for me, I’m very competitive, and I love to win. Losing is not for me. I’m a very sore loser. Winning is fun, and losing is lousy, in my book. 

Whether we realize it or not, we are in daily competition physically and spiritually. Satan works hard to keep us busy and distracted from time with God. I’m talking about myself here. I feel like I am running all day to keep up most days. One of the things I miss most about where I used to live is my prayer closet. This closet housed all our shoes and clothes. But, it was also where I had a cushion to sit on the floor and a dark private space to spend time with God. Tim and the kids knew that if I was in the prayer closet, they needed to return later or go barefoot. 

I haven’t had a prayer closet at my new home until this past week. Tuesday night, I piled up in Oscar’s doggy bed on the bathroom floor, and it was honestly the best feeling ever. I can’t even explain it. I just had this happiness all through me. I imagine the prodigal son’s dad feeling the same joy radiating throughout him when he looks upon the ridge, and there his wayward son is returning to his father. (Luke 15:11-31)

Don’t get me wrong here. I have been reading my Bible, studying, praying, reading devotions, and spending time with God in many ways since moving to my new place. But, after creating a new prayer room this past week, I realized I had not been spending quality time with God. There’s a massive difference between doing a routine prayer before exiting the door in the mornings and sitting still in His presence. You have to experience it, to believe me. 

While sitting in Oscar’s bed, I found that I didn’t have much more to say after a few minutes. But I just kept sitting there because it was then that I realized I was sitting in God’s presence. We have a gift to sit with Him, walk with Him, and be with Him. So, if you’re like me and it’s been a while since you spent that quality time with Him, find somewhere today! Allow Him to shut down all the competing distractions for your attention. Trust me; those distractions will still be there when we finish. After all, I really shouldn’t be making God compete this hard for my attention.