“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” — John 13:34-35
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It was a surprising statement from an Olympic snowboarder … a bit unexpected, one could say. He had gone through a serious accident a couple years before and had returned to his sport with a whole new outlook on life and competition. Whereas he used to be consumed with the intensity of the moment and the quality of his runs, now he was more focused on living in gratitude — as he put it, “competing with love.” He wanted to be more invested in the lives of his fellow competitors. He could handle losses better because he knew there was more to life than winning and losing. His near-death experience had turned his mindset around in the best way possible, and it was nothing short of refreshing to hear him talk about it.
I had to sit back and ask myself, what does it look like to compete with love?
One look at the Bible and it’s actually pretty clear. First Corinthians 16:14 (ESV) puts it about as directly as you can get: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Just three chapters before, Paul had spelled out what love is: patient, kind, unselfish, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not easily angered, not dishonoring to others, rejoicing in truth instead of evil, protecting, hopeful, persevering (1 Corinthians 13). “Competing with love” means that all these qualities are present in your life in some way. You are not putting yourself or your needs or desires in the center, but are making loving God and loving others your goal.
To “compete with love” is to compete with perspective. Like the snowboarder, you understand that the whole of your life is far greater than the results you leave on the court or track or field each week. The lives you touch, the choices you make, the things you pursue are of far greater consequence than the wins and losses you have. With each thought or action, you are building a record that either reflects Him or reflects yourself. As soon as something takes His place as Lord of your life, you lose your ability to live in gratitude and love well. All the things Paul said love is not suddenly take precedence, and you fail to reflect the character and heart of the God you say you follow.
Jesus made it clear that we’ll be known as His disciples by our love. Not by our achievements, not by our opinions, not by our politics, not by our positions, but by our relationships, our communications skills, our humility, our compassion and care, our listening, our sharing, our giving, our looking-out-for. He wants us to be known by these things because it’s who He is. As we are transformed more and more into His image, these qualities ought to become more and more natural. More and more a part of who we are. We have His Spirit inside of us, so let’s live as He lives and go love one another as He has loved us.
— Katherine Singer
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