We pray for God to open doors of opportunity. But what if that hope-filled, potentially life-changing door slams shut? Or worse, what if the door opens widely for one of our competitors instead?

Anxious moments. Sleepless nights. Long days. We experience these when we dream and pray with expectation that we’ll land that dream job – as do all the other people who are vying for that same title or opportunity.

Can we compete without becoming greedy, ugly and mean-spirited? With our maxed-out emotions and adrenaline-pumping hearts, is it possible to succeed in a competitive environment while maintaining a Christ-honoring posture?

When we focus on our desire and ambition, we can easily lose sight of God’s will. We become so driven to improve our image and prestige that we fail to value the hopes and needs of our rivals.

Big doors can become big diversions if, in our excitement, we lose part of ourselves – often the part we like most. The part that reflects the God Who cares about others and their goals and dreams. We can end up sacrificing the part of ourselves that trusts our wise heavenly Father’s love for us.

Perhaps Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) can keep our thoughts, motivations and emotions on the right path:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

How will you, Spirited Achiever, handle it when the next door you think is yours opens for someone else? I’m a competitive person too, so I often struggle with this. Thankfully, my heavenly Father understands me well and knows how to help me be the person He knows I want to be. The person who chooses to trust Him with everything.

Let’s trust our wise, compassionate heavenly Father to bless whom He wishes, when He wishes, as He wishes. Think how much less stress we could have if we did this. How much less jealousy. How much less frustration.

The next time that big, beautiful door becomes someone else’s opportunity, let’s rest in knowing that, in God’s perfect timing, our turn will come. And while we’re waiting, let’s continue to work hard to improve our skills.

Peace. Rest. Fruitful days. These could be ours if we apply this week’s verse whenever we’re walking (or crawling) through a closed-door season.

What about you?

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. (Others might also benefit from your comment.)

• How did you handle it when the door you thought was yours turned out to be for someone else?

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