Craig Clouston

Bitter Rivals

A brother offended is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bared gates of a citadel.
Proverbs 18:19

Bruce and Mitch were always trying to outdo each other. In childhood the twins had competed with and against each other in everything. But their high school years saw an unhealthy change take place. Each competition became more intense. Their motives shifted noticeably. They became driven by a passion to not only be the best, but to inflict emotional injury, making the other look bad in the process.
Mitch and Kara had been dating for several months, becoming high school sweethearts. Then Bruce stole her away. He dated her for less than a week and dumped her. It was evident he’d only done it to see if he could; it didn’t matter that Mitch was devastated and Kara was humiliated.
Mitch never forgot. He vowed he would never finish second to Bruce again. As the years passed, their sibling rivalry turned into a ‘king of the hill’ showdown; any semblance of decency was thrown out the window. Each set out to purposely sabotage anything the other became involved in. Eventually nobody wanted anything to do with either of them—in business or personally. In the end, they lived sheltered lives behind gated homes, rarely venturing out so as not to give the other a target.

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Competition is meant to teach us to excel in life. It is part of our training in learning how to humbly win and graciously lose. Winning teaches us to succeed; losing teaches us to be compassionate—both teach us to be tolerant with wisdom that is more understanding.
Once we learn how to properly do both, we are meant to put this knowledge to use in beneficial ways. Sibling rivalry is supposed to be where we safely learn to navigate both.
Unfortunately, there are those whose only goal in life is to rise to the top with a total disregard for others.
God gives us certain strengths so that we might assist others in their struggles, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a simple backyard ball game or a position with the biggest firm in the country.

Prayer

“Help me put competition in the right perspective, Lord. Teach me to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Amen.”