"I
press on toward to goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Jesus Christ." --Philippians 3:14
World Class Athletes.
I've
watched in awe these past weeks to see phenomenal performances of
young men and women in the 2012 Olympic Games. And part of the awe
stems not simply from how they performed in London, but all the hours and
years of training that led to this fateful occasion where they either
medaled and watched proudly as their national flag fluttered to the
rhythm of their national anthem. Or they headed home empty handed.
So
much effort and training goes into becoming a world class athlete.
Talent alone is not enough. Love for the sport alone does not cut it.
I heard one interview which stated that these athletes often train
6-8 hours each day for years to prepare for the Olympic challenge. I
am sure there have been many who had the talent, maybe even the love,
but not the tenacity to make it to the Olympics.
Or
perhaps its not simply that they did not have the tenacity. Perhaps
they had other priorities in life. And quite honestly I can't fault
them for that. I can certainly understand someone just saying, “It's
not worth it to me. I'd rather invest in family or career or whatever
with all that time.”
But
as I watch Olympic athletes face their moment of truth, I find myself
facing a moment of truth of my own. I can't help but think of what
the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:27 when he compared the
Christian life to that of an athlete in training. “I discipline my
body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.”
Through
the Holy Spirit, God has granted each of this the ability for
spiritual victory. But it does not end there anymore that natural
talent make an individual a world class athlete. We have to be
willing to train.
Corrie
Ten Boom's sister Betsy understood this truth when she lie dying in a
Nazi concentration camp. She said: “Corrie, your whole life has
been a training for what you are doing here in prison—and the work
you will do afterward.”
We've
faced a lot this year in GoodSports. If the year had a headline, it
would be called our year of death. It started with a suicide at the
orphanage in September, continued when our friend Ben Schoonover died
of brain cancer in the Spring, culminated with a second apparent
suicide at the orphanage in June, followed by the passing of the
father of one of our baseball boys in late July. Even now, our dear
little Marko from the orphanage suffers such severe health problems
that we do not know if he will live to see his eighth birthday next
month.
It's
been a rough year, and yet somehow I know it is a year of training,
training for the next step, the next phase of ministry and life.
And
that's a little scary, because it just hurts so much. The hardest
training hurts the most, but succeeds in making an athlete stronger,
and preparing him for the victory.
To
be honest, sometimes I just let myself get distracted from Him who
trains me best. And maybe it's because I don't trust Him enough.
I
fear the pain of training more than I long for the victory that grows
from the deeper relationship with Him.
Are
the sacrifices required to become a world class athlete worth it?
That may well be up to the individual to decide.
But
if we call ourselves “Christian” then we have allegedly “given
our lives to Christ.” That means if we are truly Christian, we no
longer get to decide if we want to train. We are in training PERIOD.
Sure,
we can turn away. We can refuse to learn from our difficulties. We can
ignore the Coach, but then we are blatantly choosing not to live the
Christian life.
So
maybe we just need to embrace the training and in doing so embrace
the trainer who will take us to deeper relationship with Himself and
fuller victory if we are simply willing “to press on toward the
goal” especially when it hurts.
