Happy Sabbath Everyone!

In athletics, there are many stories of inspirational performances. One of my favorites occurred at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. It is the story of an American athlete named Billy Mills.

Billy was born in and grew up on an Indian reservation and was half-Lakota Sioux Indian. By the age of twelve both parents had died, and he was sent to a boarding school in Lawrence, Kansas.  After running well enough in High School to get a scholarship to the University of Kansas, he went on to have some success. However, this was dampened by the way he was treated by his schoolmates. Being of mixed heritage, he was rejected by both the white teammates as well as those who were Indian. Unfortunately, this mistreatment overshadowed his achievements on the track, and he eventually lost the motivation to train. After University, he joined the Marines, where he began training once again. This renewed focus led to him qualifying for the Olympics by finishing second in the 10,000-meter run at the US Trials. Despite showing vast improvement, his time was more than one full minute slower than the top Olympic competition. This meant he was not considered a possibility to win, or even place in his event. As a result, the US Olympic Committee refused to provide him with shoes for the race (which was the common practice at the time). Instead he was forced to borrow shoes from a teammate who withdrew from the race with an injury.

The race consisted of 25 laps around the track. The commentators dismissed Billy's presence at the front and instead focused on the clear favorite to win, an Australian named Ron Clarke, who was the current world record holder. Yet, as each lap passed, Billy stayed with the leaders. On the start of the final lap, Billy took the lead, but was soon passed by Clarke and a Tunisian runner named Mohamed Gammoudi. Not only did they pass, but they both jostled Mills, pushing him to an outer lane and causing him to fall behind. With 200 meters to go, Mills was deemed well out of contention. Little did everyone know; this is exactly what Billy had been preparing for. In his training, Mills used the tool of visualization. In every workout, he would end by imagining himself chasing down Ron Clarke and winning the Olympic 10,000 Meter. In a stunning display Billy Mills began sprinting with fervor over the last 100 meters, surpassing both Ron Clarke and Mohamed Gammoudi. Billy Mills, a virtually unknown runner, had just won an Olympic gold medal - the only American to ever do so in this event.  (For those interested, here is a clip from the actual race 56 years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOj0zjPzg-c )

This inspirational story serves as a reminder of our need to maintain proper focus. Billy Mills trained his mind to eliminate any thought of loss and instead focus on what it would take to win. Hebrews 12:1-2 describes our race as Christians. We are charged to run with endurance and avoid those things that hinder us as we move towards the Kingdom of God. Verse 2 tells us where our focus should be, on Jesus Christ, the author of our faith as well as the One tasked with helping us to the finish line. At our baptism, we died and now the life we live exists hidden with Christ in God (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3). Our focus must then be entirely on those things that are above (Colossians 3:1-2).

God has given us the winning formula. He has taken the underdogs of this world and has given us an opportunity to be a part of the very family of God. Let us take this Holy time of the Sabbath to make sure our focus is properly aligned.

Devin Schulz