Olympic Inspiration

  Before the next Olympic Games in 2020, I need to be better prepared. Forty-two different sports and over 300 events in two straight weeks have nearly worn me out! Actually, sleep deprivation from staying up late every night to watch them on television is really the problem. The TV just seems to have a magnetic pull!

   With new records being set and athletes who keep getting better and better, the 2016 games have been every bit as inspiring and thrilling as ones from past years. Standouts, like swimmers Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps continue to dominate that sport. How do they do it? Katie excels in long distance races and is the personification of perseverance and endurance, setting high goals for herself. An Olympic veteran, Michael Phelps is competitive, confident and aggressive. Losing isn’t in his vocabulary, with 23 gold medals to prove it!

   Petite gymnast Simone Biles performs extremely difficult stunts, seemingly without fear. At 4 feet 8 inches tall, she is strong and muscular, jumping so high on some of her floor routines that her feet could touch the top of a basketball rim! Simone claims that her coaches want her to give not 100% but 150% in every practice! It shows, doesn’t it?

   Among the assemblage of amazing teams is the USA women’s 8 crew. In that grueling event, the whole team rows in unison at top speed for 2,000 meters. This year’s crew has earned the prestige of winning the third consecutive Olympic Gold medal in that specific competition. What strong legs, backs and arms!

   “Team Refugee” is another remarkable group, made up of ten young athletes who have had to flee for their lives from their home countries. Eighteen-year old Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini and her younger sister helped keep their raft afloat as it crossed the sea from Turkey to the island of Lesbos. The girls were in the water for more than three hours, pulling the partially capsized boat to shore and saving many lives. A newly designed flag for the team has a black stripe across an orange background to represent the life jackets that so many of them have had to wear.

   Yusra has great courage and hope. She is continuing on with her Olympic dream, wanting to inspire other refugees. “When you have a problem in your life, it doesn’t mean you have to sit around and cry like babies or something. The problem is the reason I am here and why I am stronger and want to reach my goals.” (Olympic Newsroom online)

   Each person who competes in the Olympics has trained hard with the best coaches and has attained certain established goals in order to get there. Each one stands on the shoulders of those who were formerly great in that sport and in turn will pass along some kind of legacy to admiring younger generations, whether it be knowledge, endurance, competiveness, a strong work ethic, courage or hope.

   These incredible athletes as well as many other young competitors inspire me to a higher level of commitment to Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His all, everything He had for me. How can I give Him less? May we run the “race marked out for us” with endurance, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the “author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2) And may we inspire those coming after us to do the same!

   “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.” 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 NIV