I have a confession to make. I'm an addict. I'm completely addicted to watching the Olympics. I find myself watching sports that I watch no other time than the Olympics and often sports I know nothing about. I know nothing of water polo other than it appears to be a mix of soccer, hockey, and swimming. Terms such as "inclusion" are used and I have no clue what that even means. During one game the announcer referred to one of the women playing professionally. I had no idea water polo was even a professional sport.
Regardless of the event, the stories of each athlete are the reason I watch faithfully every night. As the second week is in full swing I have realized not one night has gone by that a story has not made me cry. Even as I watched Michael Phelps swim in what he says is his last Olympic race, I was crying as he swam. After cheering him on during the last four Olympics, I can't imagine an Olympics without him. Even more, without watching his mother as she cheers and cries for her child. As a mom, I can imagine every emotion she must feel watching him. He's the "greatest" Olympian in history in terms of medals, but to her, he is still her baby.
There is another side to the Olympic story though. It's all the people who don't "win". It is often these stories that touch me the most. How can you not watch Oscar Pistorius run, both legs having been amputated as a child, and not tear up? Then in the quarterfinals he came in last in his heat and the first place finisher asked to trade name bibs with him as a show of respect. This man went on to win in the final race and it was the first gold ever for his country. Then there was Sam Mikulak competing in the individual vault competition in gymnastics. You could hear him on the sidelines as the gymnast for Korea came to the mat and he says "I want to watch THIS guy!" He was completely in awe of the other competitors and was appreciating the moment fully. He won the gold medal for sportsmanship in my opinion.
Then there are those who are not so gracious after losing. I've watched as athletes appear to be in shock over their loss and coldly hug those who placed in front of them. There are those who cry almost uncontrollably over not winning first place. They seem to forget the fact that they are in the Olympics at all. They were so focused on coming in first that nothing else mattered. I understand many of these athletes have given their entire life to their chosen sport. To not come out on top is heartbreaking considering how their lives would change if they won the gold. Often their disgust is at themselves for the misstep or stumble that caused them to come in second.
Watching the Olympics is very much like watching each of us in real life. Many of us appreciate the fact we are here. Each moment contains beauty, even if we never make it out of the first round. For others, our drive to perform and win is so strong that nothing except the best will satisfy us. We become depressed and devastated with anything less than perfection. Our joy is robbed because of our inability to value the moment. Unlike the Olympics, our choices and "performance" here will matter for eternity. The athletes will come home and train to come back in four years, become coaches, start families, or whatever they chose to do next. No matter what they do, their appearance in the Olympics will not matter in the large picture of their eternal lives. Winning the gold will not get them into heaven. Their medal cannot save them. No matter how good their performance, it does not provide them with eternal life. In this way we are similar. Our performance does not gain us entrance to heaven apart from our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In fact, our reality in Christ is the opposite of the competition we see in the world. "Many who are last will be first, and the first will be last." Matthew 19:30.
Where do you see yourself in the two examples above? Are you aware of the beauty of every day around you and take the time to appreciate simply being here? Or are you so driven to be on top that you are thrown into emotional chaos when things don't turn out as you had planned? My prayer is for each of us to strive to be the best us we can be as God has created us, but to also value everything about our days.
Notice the quirky expressions of our children as they talk to us.
Smell the flowers outside our offices.
Hear the songs of the birds.
Smile at a stranger.
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