Non Compete Clause
What if nobody is special? What if everyone gets the same reward?
The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, "Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved." And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?' - Acts 11:12-17
In the game of life, there are winners and losers. We expect that, and we train, study and work with the goal of outperforming others to get ahead.
Competition is good. It makes us better. At least that is what we were taught.
But in today's reading from the Book of The Acts of The Apostles, Peter learns a different lesson. God shows him all are welcome, all are chosen.
It is kind of like giving gold medals to all who compete in the Olympics. What is the point of watching, if all win?
Maybe we have structured the games with the wrong objectives in mind.
In the TV game show, American Ninja Warrior, each contestant competes against the course, as well as against each other. The added dimension of having to overcome the obstacles, which are tough, makes the game exciting.
It also does something unique. The contestants wind up supporting each other. They become friends and root for each other, celebrating each other's successes.
Perhaps that is what the kingdom of God is like. All of us struggle to win out against the obstacles in this life, supporting each other to help as many of us as possible reach the goal of tackling the bigger challenge.
There is joy in having as many contestants make it to the final challenge as possible, and I think that is what it means to follow Christ.
Our mission is to help everyone make it. We won't always succeed, but we will learn a lot about each other in the process. And that is so much better than being the sole winner.
Of course, some would rather have the prize all to themselves. That's the way the world works.
If only we could get the strongest, the smartest, the bravest and the most popular to want to be captains of the team. Then all can win.
More to come...