Tag Archives: Olympics

Be An Olympian

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The Apostle Paul was a sports fan.

He loved a good sports analogy and used them often when talking about the spiritual life: running, wrestling, boxing, winning the prize.

A few miles outside Corinth, the Isthmian Games were held every two years. There were no Airb&bs in the area, so tentmakers made a killing on the sale of temporary shelters for the fans who came from far away.

Paul went to Corinth and met Aquilla and his wife Pricilla “and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.” (Acts 18:3) Maybe he attended an event, or maybe he heard the cheers from the stadium.

The Isthmian Games had competitions in footraces, wrestling, boxing, throwing the discus and javelin, the long jump, chariot racing, poetry reading and singing. Yes, poetry reading. And singing. There was only one winner in each category—no second or third place. And there were no medals.

The winner was given a crown made out of celery.

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last,
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
1 Corinthians 9:25

Olympians are inspirational. As I watch the athletes perform at such a high level, I think, “What is behind that one moment of glory?” Champions are made in the things we don’t see. The daily workouts, the daily reps, the daily nutritional program.

Life is built on the dailies, even for average, unathletic people like me who will never stand on an Olympic podium. The seemingly unimportant and unseen daily routines accumulate over time. They determine if I live with halfheartedness or excellence.

What if I approached my life with God as an Olympian?

Could I stick to the consistent discipline of living for Christ?
Do I have enough dedication to take my faith seriously every day?
Are my daily routines helping or hurting my spiritual life?
Am I running the race set before me in such a way to win the prize?

“You will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” 1 Peter 5:4

And it ain’t made of celery.

“Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please!
Workouts in the gymnasium are useful,
but a disciplined life in God is far more so,
making you fit both today and forever.”
1 Timothy 4:8, The Message

3/1000ths

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Henry David Thoreau said, “If thou art a writer, write as if thy time is short, for it is indeed short at the longest.”

You could put anything in that sentence and it would still ring true.

If thou art a builder, build as if thy time is short….

If thou art a teacher….

If thou art a baker…

If thou art a speed skater.

stopwatch

Last night, an Olympic athlete won a gold medal by 3/1000ths of a second.  How do you split a second into one thousand little pieces?  To someone flying around a track made out of ice at a ridiculous speed, I suppose that’s a plausible concept.  In order for my mind to grasp what that minuscule moment is like, I need to zoom out.

If I live to be 80 years old, I will have a total of 29,200 days to race around this planet.

3/1000ths of 29,200 is 87.6.  In other words, 87 days is my 3/1000ths.

If I live to be 80 years old, I have about 9,490 days left.

3/1000ths of 9,490 is 28.

Life is indeed short, even at the longest.

Psalm 90 carries the subtitle “A prayer of Moses the man of God.”

He wrote, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I just numbered my days.

Now for a heart of wisdom.