Are Competition and Christianity Compatible?

I love to compete. Ask anyone that really knows me well and they will tell you that I work just as hard to win at a kitchen table game of Monopoly as I would if I were in baseball's World Series. So as I have begun to grow in my faith and my walk with God, I have begun to question whether or not my competitive nature is compatible with Christian principles. I read all I could about Jesus life and I could not find any instances where He competed with others. I also saw both in the Bible and in my own life many instances everyday of how competition in sports, for jobs or promotions, or for even for scholarships could lead to jealousy, anger, resentment, envy and any number of other sins. Since man is created in the image of God, is a competitive nature also part of God's nature? With whom or what would God have to compete?

The only answer I have is that God has created us with the will and drive to excel. He has imbued each of us with gifts and talents and we are expected to exercise and develop those skills to their highest potential. In essence, we are only expected to compete with ourselves, to always strive to improve on our personal best. Some believe we should not expect our children to have to compete for spots on the team or in the choir; that grading children for their coursework should be abolished; that the Christian thing to do in a competitive situation is to let one's opponent win. There are several problems however with this argument.

A much better writer than I outlined several excellent points at this website: http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001572.cfm
One point this writer makes is that competition encourages excellence. When we compete, we are driven to try and give our very best. Just as we expect the vendors that compete for our business to give us the best quality product, so we should strive to give our very best at everything we do. The importance of this is emphasized when we remember that our efforts are not, after all, meant to elevate ourselves or to demonstrate our own greatness; rather our efforts are entirely meant to glorify our Lord God. As Colossians 3:23-24 tells us "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward." The writer mentioned above says it so well when he says, "In humble dependence upon Him who gives life and breath and every good thing, we should exert ourselves with vigor in whatever our hands or minds find to do."

Like so many other things in life, our focus should be less on the win, the scoreboard, the end result, and instead should seek out the process, the journey, the learning along the way. By competing with others, I learn more about myself and I am given many opportunities to grow. I learn how to lose (or win) with grace and humility. I learn how to control or eliminate feelings of jealousy, envy, resentment and anger. I have the opportunity to learn how to improve my skills by observing, interacting or competing with individuals whose skills are greater than mine. I also may find through competition that my skill or talent is not in the area I thought (or wished) it was and have the opportunity to divert my energies to pursuits that are more in line with God's plan for me. Even if I thought it was "un-Christian" to compete, the fact is that competition is inevitable as a part of living in this world and it would be just as sinful not to exercise and strive to excel in the areas that God has blessed us.

As another greater writer said at http://www.boundless.org/2002_2003/features/a0000715.html:
"The bottom line for the Christian is that your opponent is not your enemy. They are not even your competition in one sense. If your challenge in life is to do everything as unto the Lord, then you are not being measured in terms of how you stack up to your opponent. Your value does not come from whom you outperform. Your goal is less to excel your competition than to practice the highest stewardship of the talents and capabilities God gave you." I couldn't have said it better.