“It somehow happened quite suddenly then that I alternated between despising them and thinking them superior to myself.”
-Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes From Underground
When I was running collegiately, we would sometimes compete against BYU. And the annoying thing was that these guys were all like 26 years old, were married, had 3 kids, and would absolutely destroy us regardless of the distance. Our joke was that they had to finish the race quickly so they could change some diapers, but mainly we were rankled that we had just been Dusted by the Dads.
And some of the other teams in our conference would try to “hate” the BYU guys, but that was silly, since they were super nice. And they actually were quite willing to offer training advice, although ultimately “just keep working hard” didn’t exactly seem to pan out as well for me as it did for them. Later, I learned, “Pick the Right Parents” was an additional component necessary for achieving their degree of success!
And we see similar Biblical examples of two guys, King Saul and Jonathan, who were faced with playing Second Fiddle to someone of superior skill. In this case, “That Guy Who Is Better Than You” was David, the obnoxiously multi-talented musician, shepherd, warrior, and eventual King of Israel.
King Saul’s insecurity and ego led to a vacillating rollercoaster of a reign. He would say he loved David, then throw spears at his head. He would acknowledge David’s superior moral fiber, then look for new ways to kill him.
In contrast, Jonathan, Saul’s son, had every reason to resent David’s inevitable kingship. Jonathan had appeared to “Pick the Right Parents” as heir to the throne, but God had other plans. But rather than mope or lash out, Jonathan became a preeminent example of what it means to be a true friend. And the bond that he and David shared was incredibly special.
Life is a perpetual series of humbling events. Whether it’s academia, athletics, patient care or parenting, there will always be someone who does certain things better than you. But rather than resent that person’s superiority, why don’t you try to make a friend? I bet that person might just help you be a better steward of your faculties, too😊
