Going for Gold

With all eyes on The Tokyo 2020 Olympics over the last weeks, it was hard not to get inspired to get off our couches and start running, jumping and throwing things far distances.  Personally, the worldwide event got me contemplating and comparing it to the race we are all in. The race that the Bible speaks of in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (TPT), “Isn’t it obvious that all runners on the racetrack keep on running to win, but only one receives the victor’s prize? Yet each one of you must run the race to be victorious. A true athlete will be disciplined in every respect, practicing constant self-control in order to win a laurel wreath that quickly withers. But we run our race to win a victor’s crown that will last forever.“

In continuing with his encouragement regarding living a disciplined life, Paul goes on to say, ” For that reason, I don’t run just for exercise or box like one throwing aimless punches, but I train like a champion athlete. I subdue my body and get it under my control so that after preaching the good news to others, I myself won’t be disqualified.”

Never has it been heard that an athlete shows up at their event without ever practicing first, without putting in countless hours of training and preparing their body to execute the moves required not just to complete their event but to do the very best they can.  So we, too, as Christians, need to be highly aware that our life is a race, and as spiritual athletes, we need to be training and keeping our eyes on the finish line.

 It’s important to remember that no one’s run is always going to be perfect. There will be times when we may feel like we don’t deserve a medal. Times where our pace is off, or we stumble and fall. We may even feel like our lack of “performance” or poor results should disqualify us from the race altogether. But the beauty of the spiritual race is that no one is ever disqualified, no one is ever banned from participating, no one has to prove they deserve to be in the race, to begin with. All we have to do is have a desire to run and show up. That’s it. The rest is just us choosing every day to continue to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Two main purposes come to mind regarding this lifelong race we are in. One: that others will see our perseverance and be inspired that they too can keep going.  Two: that we remind ourselves of the reason we run at all, which is our faith in God and the glorious hope of spending eternity with Him.

Unlike Tokyo 2020, where the athletes were deprived of the sound of cheering fans filling the backdrop of their events, we have ALL of Heaven cheering us along.  How amazing is that?

“As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us” Hebrews 12:1 (TPT).

Circumstances in your life may make you feel like you should just give up: brokenness, betrayal, illness, shame, addiction, poverty all can cause us to feel like walking off the track. When I have moments of despair, I want to remind myself of Dutch Olympic Star Sifan Hassan, who, despite being tripped, stumbling and falling with just 380 meters to go in the 1500m race, got up and ran. She dug deep within herself, running like her life depended upon it. She managed to finish the race she started and ended up passing all those ahead of her, WINNING the whole thing.  Had she chosen to quit after being tripped, no one would have blamed her. She could have justified her actions. Instead, she chose not to let her negative circumstance dictate the final outcome.  We, too, shouldn’t allow our hard situations and circumstances to have the final say on our race results.

Keep your eyes on the finish line, on Jesus. 

Keep going for Gold. Heavenly Gold.

Heavenly Father, how encouraging it is to know that we have all of Heaven cheering us on as we run the spiritual race placed before us. Please help us stay focused on You and not get discouraged when life gets hard, or we stumble and fall. Thank you that we don’t have to prove our worthiness to participate in this race, that you take us as we are, sinners in need of grace and mercy.  May our perseverance be an encouragement to the other athletes around us. With your help, may we spur one another to stay strong, keeping our eyes on the finish line. Amen