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).