EARLY L. JACKSON JR. – COMPETITION AND SUCCESS
One of the verses of scripture I’ve learned to not only love, but honor is found in the Book of Wisdom, Proverbs 16:18-19 which says: Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud. Often when we speak on the subject of pride, it is from the perspective of finding it in others. Which leaves us vulnerable to deception where our lives are concerned.
Several years ago I was in a management position for a tailor shop in Philadelphia. Being a chain establishment, my store was constantly compared to similar stores, which also determined our annual budget. In this environment of sales and conference calls with our district manager, it wasn’t hard to develop a competitive nature.
God finds nothing wrong with us engaging in friendly competition with each other, but the spirit behind our actions must always be checked. Pride, by Hebrew definition is the inflation of stature (puffed up) and gives the connotation of relying heavily on oneself. This is in direct conflict with the Holy Spirit who leads us to depend on the power of Christ in our lives. As my store grew and excelled, it wasn’t long before I was sitting in meetings totally depending on my sales ability. During this time my head had gotten so big I transferred to a larger store and never thought to consult God on my direction. With the praise of my district manager ringing in my ear, I jumped at the chance to manage a flagship location in the heart of downtown.
It was only a few months before it was revealed I was in way over my head. Sales were falling. I had trouble keeping up with inventory and the demands of more staff proved to be too much. In less than a year I was in the position to resign. To my district manager’s amazement, I went from the district’s top producer to someone who hated coming to work. It was shameful, but the sting of the lesson has helped remind me that my true source, my abilities and favor come from the Lord.
The thing I walked away with was the understanding that God never said we couldn’t be successful. But success at the expense of humility in God is never an option. As James later amplified in the scripture; God resists the proud, but gives more grace to the humble.
– Early L. Jackson, Jr., New Direction Coaching Associates
A passage from James Allen’s The Might Of Meekness related to this: Rejoice that thou art so favored as to have thine own imperfections revealed to thee.
My favorite BIBLE passage related to this: Proverbs 16:18-19 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
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