June 6, 2021 Sibling Rivalry Writ Large Genesis 37:5-28 Sometimes a healthy sense of competition can be a good thing. It builds self-esteem, creates motivation, and encourages participants to innovate; but sometimes wanting to be the best can be disastrous. On May 23, 151 runners took off into the Huanghe Shilin Mountains of northwest China to compete in a high-altitude ultra-marathon. Dressed in shorts and thin shirts, runners started the race in sunny conditions to complete the 100-kilometer (62-mile) course. Imagine what kind of determination and training it takes to run for 62 miles without stopping! As the runners went higher on the course, the weather turned. Cold set in, hail rained down, and the wind picked up. Many runners abandoned the race. Mao Shuzhi was one of those runners. “The rain was getting heavier and heavier,” said Shuzhi, who was about 15 miles into the race at the time. Shivering in the cold, she turned back before the high-altitude section, due to previous bad experiences with hypothermia. “At first I was a bit regretful, thinking it might have just been a passing shower, but when I saw the strong winds and rains later through my hotel room window, I felt so lucky that I made the decision,” Mao told Reuters.1 By the end of the day, 21 runners died during the race, and another eight were taken to the hospital. In this week’s Scripture, Joseph’s brothers were jealous of Joseph’s dreams and what they might mean for their future. Why should Joseph be special and rule over them? So they decided to kill him. As someone with a brother, I understand the sense of jealousy and competition here. I understand wanting to be the best (or at least to be better than), and I understand how that jealousy and competition can lead to poor decisions. It’s hard to turn to God when you’re overcome with jealousy or in the midst of an unhealthy competition; but God belongs in every corner of our lives, even the dark ones. It is God’s grace and mercy that help us out of those dark corners and back into the light. Sometimes giving up is the only way to win. 1. Have you ever pushed yourself too far in a competition? How does that make you feel now? 2. How has your relationship with your siblings or other family members changed as you aged? 3. In what ways can you turn to God in times of jealousy and competition? Rachel Mullen lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and daughter. She blogs at www.travelwithgrands.blogspot.com and is mom to the world’s worst behaved dachshund. 1From nbcnews.com/news/world/cold-weather-china-kills-21-ultramarathon-sparking-outrage-n1268263. 2From Adult Bible Studies, Summer 2021, by Michelle Morris (Cokesbury, 2021). .