Beware Of Compare

Beware of Compare

By definition, a “race” is a competition in which a winner is determined. Runners on high school and university cross-country teams compete regularly against other schools and individuals. The object of those races should be to win while doing one’s best. Unfortunately, in many athletic contests, winning becomes most important and is achieved by cheating or by pulling down the opponent.

For most runners, especially those not on interscholastic teams, the real competition is against the clock as they strain to reach a personal record. That’s how it should work in amateur long-distance races. Often, however, runners compare themselves to other runners and try to “beat” them, especially in the middle part of the race when they’re running well and feeling good.

The urge to run faster in order to pass other runners can be a trap, pulling us off our running plan and racing pace. Comparing ourselves to other runners can also be deceptive and harmful. For example, we can think we’re doing well because we’re passing so many, when in fact our pace is slow. Or trying to stay with faster runners can throw us off stride or cause us to deplete our reserves prematurely. Each person should be disciplined and run his or her own race—no one else’s.

Comparisons come easy—we make them constantly, measuring ourselves against how others perform. Instead, we should concentrate on ourselves, on using the gifts that God has given to us, running our own races.

Peter learned this lesson after the Resurrection. Jesus had just given Peter his marching orders, including how Peter would die. Then we read:

Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” (John 21:20-22)

Did you catch that? When Peter asked about John, Jesus answered, “What is that to you? As for you, follow me.” In other words, “Don’t worry about John—focus on yourself and your work for me. You have your own race to run.”

The Runner

Jessica was prepared for this half marathon, and the weather was perfect—cool, dry, and overcast. As she walked to her place near the starting line, she spotted an old high school track rival, Lauren, and greeted her. They stood just a few feet apart, and when the starter’s gun sounded, both runners took off. Lauren’s pace was a little faster than Jessica’s, so she pushed a bit to pull even. But then Lauren increased her speed to pull ahead; Jess matched that increase. Soon they were running way too fast for the start . . . and neither one finished.

A natural athlete and very competitive, Jordan had excelled at most of the sports he had tried. And although he had never run competitively, he used the same drive and workout ethic when he became a “runner.” After entering a few 10K races, Jordan decided to go for it—the marathon. So he read everything he could on it, got a training schedule, and faithfully put in the miles.

At the start of the race, Jordan was disciplined and ran slower than he thought he could. But he couldn’t stand being passed by older or heavier runners—even some women! So he began to increase his speed, choosing a runner in the distance and making his goal to pass him or her. He got so caught up in this process that he blew past the aid stations—after all, think of all the chumps he could pass who were taking time to drink. Jordan cramped up at mile twenty and eventually staggered across the finish line, behind many of those older, heavier, and female competitors.

After the marathon, Seth, Greg, and Sue were limping, rehydrating, and talking about the experience. The three friends had trained together and now had gathered for their ride home. This was the first marathon for each, and all three were thrilled that they had reached their goals—they had finished. Seth’s time was four hours and nine minutes; Greg finished in three hours and fifty-four minutes; Sue took almost five hours to complete the course. But they celebrated with and for each other, knowing that each one had done his or her best.

The Race

When we compare ourselves to others and don’t measure up, we can begin to think poorly of ourselves and our abilities. Or if we outdo someone else, we can puff up with pride. Or, similar to a child comparing his pile of Christmas presents to a sibling’s, we can think, It’s just not fair! That may have been what was lurking at the edge of Peter’s mind when he asked about John. The comparison game only hurts our performance. Instead, we need to hear Jesus’ words: “You follow me.”

The Result

The Christian life isn’t a competition, a contest. God doesn’t expect us to do better than anyone else . . . just our best for him. Paul told the believers in Galatia, “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct” (Galatians 6:4-5).

Stay focused on running your race, regardless of how well or poorly anyone around you is doing.

My Story

My son’s seventh-grade student-parent cross-country meet was held on a cold, wet autumn day. Watching my son enjoy success in running brought me true joy. Still an active runner and triathlete, I thought I would humor my son and run alongside the little guy for the 1.5-mile event.

The gun went off, and we all joyfully began the short, competitive run across the plains of the middle school campus. I knew I couldn’t keep pace with the number one boy runner, but I was confident that I could stay with my son through the finish line.

As the race went on, my son quietly pulled away from me at the quarter-mile point. I held back, thinking I would simply stay on his tail until the end and then run him down for fun. As the run continued, I figured I had better turn on a little speed at the three-quarter-mile mark to pull him in. So I put the hammer down and worked very hard to draw closer. To my surprise, he had more in the tank than I ever knew and continued to pull away. Giving my best effort, I poured all my adult energy into the final half mile with the expectation to finish in a blaze of glory, albeit behind my boy. Two boys were ahead of my son, and I thought, what the heck, a fourth-place finish behind my boy wouldn’t be so bad. After all, I have a lot of excuses. As I continued to drive to the finish line with all the energy I could physically muster, Molly, a seventh-grade girl, came flying by me as if I were jogging and hammered to a strong fourth-place finish.

Dear old dad finished fifth, puzzled, humbled, but happy. My boy was all smiles. The baton had been passed. (Hmmm, and I thought I had at least another year of being the fast guy!)

Don R.

Think It Through

1. Why do we tend to compare ourselves to others in running and other areas of life?

2. In what ways can competition hurt competitors?

3. When have you felt as if you didn’t measure up because of someone else’s performance?

4. If Jesus were saying to you, “What is that to you? You follow me,” what would you think? How would that change the way you live?

On Running

Is it okay to be on a low-carbohydrate diet?

Runners should keep a regular-carbohydrate diet because carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. After depleting those resources, the body switches to using fat. That sounds great for people losing weight; however, fats take longer to break down and provide energy. Most likely, without carbohydrates you wouldn’t have enough energy for a good run that would help you burn more calories. This doesn’t mean you should switch to a high-carbohydrate diet; just try to maintain a regular-carbohydrate diet.