Well it almost upon us, only 5 more days and the eyes of the world will be focused on Salt Lake City Utah. As most of you know I am not a sports fan, never have been never will be. I know that never is a long time but trust me on this one. But even for a non sports fan like me there is mystique that wraps itself around the Olympics. And even though I’m not glued to the set during the games I do find myself, gasp watching sports and almost enjoying it. There is something about cheering your country on to victory that seems to take it from simple recreation to patriotism. I probably experienced that at it’s highest level when we were living overseas. And I remember one not so flattering incident when I had the youth group out bowling and the bowling alley was telecasting the winter Olympics on the TV sets over the lanes and so between my turns to bowl I was watching the women’s speed skating and the Canadian was in the lead and lost her footing or skating on the corner, slid out of control and lost the race. In response I booted a rubber garbage can, and realized that everyone was looking at me. To which I smiled and sat down, rather embarrassed because it was so out of character for me.
As we read through the Letters of the New Testament we soon discover that Paul was either an athlete or a sports fan because one of the most common analogies that he uses for our Christian life is that of a race or a competition. And while the concept of the luge and hockey would probably be lost on Paul the concept of the competition and the race is still valid.
The Race Begins With A Desire. At some point in every competitors life came the moment when they realized that they wanted to compete in the Olympics. Perhaps they had begun competing locally, and then regionally. Eventually they went on to compete in the provincial arena and then nationally. And somewhere along the line they began to think, “I could represent Canada someday. I could be in the Olympics.”
And that was when the dream began. Maybe at that point they could close their eyes and visualize themselves on the Podium, they could hear O Canada being played and could see the Maple Leaf going up the pole. But it was more then simply a dream. I’m convinced that a lot more people dream of what could be then actual have the desire to see that dream become a reality. You understand what I’m saying, right? There could very well be a better hockey player then Wayne Gretzky, and every morning he gets up and puts on a suit and goes to his law firm or sits in the House of Commons or sells stocks. But whatever he does it isn’t playing Hockey. Because even though they had the talent and maybe even the dream they didn’t have the desire. They didn’t wake up each day thinking about nothing but hockey, they didn’t sleep it, eat it, dream it.
Those who will compete in the Olympics want it and want it so bad that they can taste it. They know what it’s like to bend their heads to accept the Gold because they’ve already done it a million times in their mind. Bob Richards Olympic Pole Vaulting Champion summed it up when he said “I won it, at least five million times. Men who were stronger, bigger and faster than I was could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, and never made the feeble effort to pick their legs off the ground and get over the bar.” Now we all know that Bob Richards didn’t win the Gold five million times or even the silver or bronze. Well at least not where we could see. But he won in his mind.
Everything that we will ever accomplish in this life begins with a desire to see it a reality. Whether it’s your family or career or your relationship with God it all begins with a desire. Cher said If you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen. The difference between the winners and the losers in this life isn’t the amount of talent they have. I enjoy Cher’s singing but I’m sure there are better singers then her. Born Cherilyn Sarkisian and raised by a mom who had been married eight times, she was dirt poor so what was it that turn Cherilyn into Cher? Because her desire was to be a star and that’s what she became.
We are told that inside every person is a God Shaped vacuum. Annie Sullivan tells about teaching Helen Keller and one day she signed into her hand, “Helen, I’ve come today to tell you about God - the One who created us.” And Helen responded, “Good, I’ve been thinking about God for some time!” What was it that caused this child who had been blind and deaf since she was 19 months old to think of God? We are spiritual beings and humanity has always sought to fill that void with something. That’s why believers of whatever ilk will always outnumber atheists and agnostics. Psalm 14:1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” Maybe it can be summed up best by George Bernard Shaw who said “I’m an atheist and I thank God for it.”
And so in order to begin our spiritual journey, the journey that Paul refers to as a race we need to have a spiritual desire and with that comes the promise of God in His word, Jeremiah 29:13 If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.
The story is told that a young man came to Aristotle and said that he desired knowledge. Aristotle led him to the beach and into the water. When they were waist deep the philosopher grabbed the young man and plunged him under the water and held him as he struggled. When Aristotle released the student he told him, “When you desire knowledge as you desire air you won’t need anyone to teach you.”
There Has To Be A Start. At some point the desire has to turn to action. We can talk all we like about wanting to do something but until we take that first step all we are doing is talking. At some point the desire and the dream has to be turned into action. And that that can’t be done without knowing the eventually cost. For the athelete it will mean years of commitment, training and sacrifice.
2000 years ago the Greek writer Epictetus made this statement “So you wish to conquer in the Olympic games, my friend? And I too, by the Gods, and a fine thing it would be! But first mark the conditions and the consequences, and then set to work. You will have to put yourself under discipline; to eat by rule, to avoid cakes and sweetmeats; to take exercise at the appointed hour whether you like it or no, in cold and heat; to abstain from cold drinks and from wine at your will; in a word, to give yourself over to the trainer as to a physician. Then in the conflict itself you are likely enough to dislocate your wrist or twist your ankle, to swallow a great deal of dust, or to be severely thrashed, and, after all these things, to be defeated.”
And for the Olympic Athlete those sacrifices are worth it. If you were to ask them, what are you training for, why are you making these sacrifices they would be able to tell you. They would say someday I’m going to stand on the podium and receive a Gold Medal for my country, someday I will be the very best there is. And I know that winning isn’t everything, at least that’s what we say. Jesse Owens who became famous for his wins in the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany said this about winning: “If you don’t try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody’s back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it the thrill of a gold medal. One wants to win to prove himself the best.”
It is also true of life, if your desires and dreams have any hope at all of becoming a reality there has to be a start. If you want to be the best anything at some point you will actually have to start doing it. If your dream is to be a great painter then you will need to lift the brush to the canvas, if your dream is to be a great writer then you will have to set the pen to the paper.
What are your dreams? What is it that pushes you each morning? Listen up it’s not too late to start pursuing that dream or those desires. When Michel Angelo was 72 years old he started work on the monumental dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. When Galileo was 74 he published his dialogue concerning two new sciences. When Stradivarius was in his early 90s he fashioned two of his most famous violins. When P.T Barnum was 71 he joined James Bailey to form the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. Carl Bard
In our spiritual life as well we need to make a start. And our desire to find God only bears fruit when we actually call out to him. Psalm 55:16 But I will call on God,
and the Lord will rescue me. As Christians we normally think of that start as our conversion experience and the analogies throughout the New Testament make conversion the start. Jesus said in John 3:3 “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.” And so we have the new birth, a start. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
And just as the Athlete needs to understand that the start is only the beginning and that it will require a commitment and a sacrifice so the believer needs to know the same thing. You don’t become a Christian and then just kind of drift toward heaven. Throughout the New Testament the descriptions of the Christian life are always active, it’s a walk, it’s a race, take up your cross, follow me, press on. Jesus himself gives us this warning concerning making the step to follow him, Luke 14:28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost.
When we go to Christ and ask him to forgive us and forgive our sins and give us a new life, he does all of that, and in return he wants all of us. Paul writes in Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?
And so you have the desire, the dream and you start but the race isn’t over it’s not enough to start the race You Have To Be Ready To Finish. It’s not enough to start toward the goal, if you are going to achieve it then you must finish. I wonder if we will ever know the number of people around the world who started along the path to Olympic Gold? People who had great dreams and great desires and great intentions but somewhere along the line they got a bad case of quititis. It would be wonderful if once you started the race it was easy to finish the race, but that isn’t always the case. But the race does have to be finished. There are no Gold medals given out to those who quit.
In the same way throughout our lives we will come to times when it would be so easy to throw up our hands and say “I quit, I don’t want to do this anymore.” And if you do that then you will never see your dreams fulfilled. And I know that there are times that the smart thing to do might be to cut your losses, after all a wise man said, “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again, but don’t make a complete fool out of yourself.” Most of us aren’t guilty of hanging in too long and trying too hard but if the truth were known a lot of us have quit too early. Sometimes only metres away from victory. Richard Nixon said “Defeat doesn’t finish a man -- quit does. A man is not finished when he’s defeated. He’s finished when he quits.”
Sometimes in our spiritual lives there comes times when it feels like the easiest thing to do would simply be to throw your hands up and said “I’m out of here, it’s just too tough!” Maybe you’ve been disappointed by another Christian, or hurt by another Christian. Or maybe you just can’t seem to win the battle over that nagging habit or sin. Don’t quit, even if you’re hurting don’t quit. Here’s a little spiritual advice from Shaquille O’Neal “This is a tough game. There are times when you’ve got to play hurt, when you’ve got to block out the pain.” Well maybe Shaq was talking about basketball, but it applies to Christianity. Paul said something similar in 2 Corinthians 4:8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit.
The analogy of the race gives us a word picture of the starting line and the race itself but the most important part of the race is the finish. It doesn’t matter how fast you start if you don’t finish. The difference between this race and any other is that it’s not who finishes first, second and third it simply who finishes. David Scott who ran the triathlon for the states said this “If you set a goal for yourself and are able to achieve it, you have won your race. Your goal can be to come in first, to improve your performance, or just to finish the race -- it’s up to you.”
Here is the promise of God’s word Galatians 6:9 So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. We will reap a harvest of blessing, if we don’t give up.
So where are you at today? Are you seeking? Are you looking to fill that God shaped vacuum that he has placed in your heart. Have you started? Are you on the verge of quitting? Don’t.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
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