I recently spent the afternoon with some ducks at Strawberry Patch Park. As I fed them, I watched them each race to get the bite of food. I had plenty for them all, but they didn’t know that. Instead of slowing down to enjoy their meal, they saw the experience as a competition. It frustrated me a bit, but I couldn’t help but smile.

I imagine God was able to relate to me in that moment. You see, God has a plan, a very unique plan and purpose for each one of us. Further, His goodness never runs out. My win doesn’t mean you fail and versa. When God feeds me, He isn’t taking food from your bowl. If you’re hungry, it’s because you’re outside of God’s will. When we allow God to lead us, we all are fed; we all win. The greatest deception of the enemy is to keep us from realizing this.

I’ve been thinking lately about the qualities I look for in a friend and why I choose some friends over others. I’ve narrowed it down to something very specific, very simple. The quality that turns me off immediately from walking in close friendship with someone is this: competitiveness. I can sense it from a mile away, and I seek out people who lack this quality. You can’t truly want the best for someone if you’re competing with them. What is it that sets apart a true friend from a false friend? A true friend wants the best for their friend; they want to see them succeed. Competition ruins more friendships than just about anything else I can think of. As for my friends, their win is my win and vice versa.

The greatest gift of what God gives is this: it will never come from someone else’s plate; it comes directly from God Himself. Someone else doesn’t have to be slighted in order for us to receive our portion. I pray you’ll remember this the next time you feel the bitter sting of seeing someone else receive something you want. What God has for you is better for you than anything else you will ever see someone else get. That thing may not be in your grasp at this moment, and that’s ok. Seek God first, have faith, and remember God always gives what’s yours in perfect timing.