Our Race Continues—"Going for Gold"
A commentary by
Peter Hawkins
Pastor of United Church of God congregations in Bricket Wood and Tonbridge,
England
Four years evaporated before our eyes. The Olympic Games of Sydney
2000 now is Athens 2004. Yet shortly after the final
events in Sydney, coaches and aspiring sports enthusiasts began planning
for the next opportunity to become the best in their field.
Goals were set, training programs worked out. Now all that hard work
of fine-tuning healthy bodies is bringing medals and honor to those
who excel.
Though many competitors will return home without a medal, they
will take with them an invaluable experience. They will never be
the same, nor view their national competitions in the same way.
Frenchman
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern series of Olympic Games,
observed in 1908: "The most important thing in the
Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important
thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing
is not to have conquered but to have fought well." These words
are displayed on the scoreboard at opening ceremonies to remind athletes
of why they are competing.
A Christian's life also moves in continuous
cycles of training and testing. We run a race that requires goal-setting,
improving our performance and struggling against our own weaknesses and
the competition.
The Apostle Paul refers to this training in I Corinthians
9:24-27. "Do
you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 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. Therefore
I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man
beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after
I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize" (New International Version).
Paul knew that, for a Christian,
winning the gold medal of life also requires self-discipline. An Olympic
athlete must compete according to the rules of the games — witness
prominent athletes who were not allowed to participate in this year's
Games. So also our Christian's
life is bound by rules which we must follow to be awarded life without
end (2 Timothy 2:5). These are found in the spiritual intent of the Law
of God (Matthew 5:17 -48).
We have the help of the best coach!
Jesus Christ has already run successfully the race of human life and
knows how to train us. An athlete's diligent preparation gains
him only a medal or a wreath that soon withers but the Christian strives
for an imperishable crown.
At each Olympic Games we see national heroes
fall short of their country's
expectations. A trip, a strained ligament or a poor performance on a 'bad
day'. Does this stop an athlete in preparing for the next Games?
In the same way there are setbacks and short-term defeats in our Christian
lives. We each need learn how to gracefully accept a defeat and humbly
enjoy a victory. "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound," Paul
said (Philippians 4:12 ).
In recent years TV cameras have captured the
moods of competing teams. We see their expressions of euphoria as they
boost the team score with a good performance. We also see team members
give encouragement to those who let the team down. It is inspiring
to see such support for a fellow teammate.
This also needs to be the
attitude of Christians towards each other. We all fall short at times.
And we also would prefer encouragement to criticism. Jesus Christ said
that this type of loving camaraderie would be a sign to others that He
is coaching His disciples (John 13:35 ) "By
this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another."
Just as we are able to view on television, in print or
on film the successes of Olympic champions of the past, we have a record
of many Christians who have run their race successfully. They should
inspire us to be living examples of God's standards in a world
that has rejected them, and to get up if we do stumble before the 'competition' at
times and train harder.
Paul writes again to his fellow Christian 'athletes' to
look to the examples of people who have succeeded in life's race
for the ultimate goal—the real medal of eternal life that
only God can impart. "Therefore we also, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us..." (Hebrews 12:1, NIV). |
