Christian Women: Choosing Community Over Competition
Dear friends,
There is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Reen and I were privileged to attend the Future Proof Author Conference in Atlanta, GA at the end of August. It was filled with authors hungry to learn more about how to protect, market, and promote their work in this new age of AI.
I was excited and challenged by new opportunities and resources enabling us to spread God’s message to more people every day. It seemed like collaboration ruled the day! Everyone was ready to help everyone else.
One thing concerned me though. I was reminded of other conferences I attended where this was not the case. Christian authors seemed to be competing to see who could be better, do more, and push ahead of someone else. My heart grew sad as it reminded me of my years when writing and speaking as a major platform speaker, I watched other speakers push and shove to be sure they got the next interview, the next book contract, and the limelight. It’s one reason I chose to remove myself from the speaking circuit ( though I do continue speaking as the Lord leads with the message He provides for each group whose lives He wills to touch).
Competition. It’s defined as “the activity or condition of competing; the person or people with whom one is competing…the opposition.”
Paul said something very important when faced with the competition that seemed to arise among Christian believers concerning who they respected and listened to among the apostles:
“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (I Cor. 3:3-9)
As Christian women let’s beware of the enemy of our soul and his desire to harm our hearts and the ministry of Jesus Christ with jealousy and competition. Let’s choose comradeship, friendship, connection, and community instead. Let’s repent when tempted to feel envy or jealousy and instead demonstrate the love of Christ through by being the Body of Christ. Let’s pray for God’s best for one another each and every day!
