A meditation written by Rev. Charles J. Hulin III for his church newspaper in 1981. "For we are laborers together with God . . ." (I Corinthians 3:9)
From the cradle to the grave we learn that we have to compete.
From the cradle to the grave we learn how to compete.
From the cradle to the grave we do compete.
We compete:
In school for grades . . .
In games for victories . . .
In vocations for promotions . . .
We compete:
To receive attention . . .
To satisfy the ego . . .
To enable right to win over wrong.
We conclude that we have discovered the secret for the good life, namely, in the word "compete."
Isn't it ironic though, that later in life we learn that the secret of a good life is not "compete but rather "cooperate."In fact, there it stands right in the scriptures, where we are taught that each has a talent . . . a gift, but that these gifts and talents are to be pooled and shared as the Body of Christ, each dependent upon all the others.
So we learn that the key to success is cooperation.
We have to cooperate to win anything from ball games to wars.
We have to cooperate to keep the peace.
We have to cooperate to elect public officials that we hope will be honest.
We have to cooperate to operate a business . . .
To move a church forward . . .
To keep a home together . . .
To build great institutions.
Yes, what we have trained all our early years to do, namely to compete, moves to the back burner as we find out that it takes cooperation to get though this life.
We are laborers together!
And then add the greatest fact . . .
WITH GOD!
Charles J. Hulin III