The XXIX Olympiad and our “Flame” will be happening about the same time. Watch out. You may see me in China. I may call the US Olympic committee informing them of my plans. But which of the 35 events: archery, athletics (track), badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoe/kayak (flatwater or slalom?), cycling, equestrian events, fencing, football (soccer), gymnastics (artistic & rhythm), handball, hockey, judo, pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, swimming & diving, synchronized swimming, tae-kwon-do, table tennis, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, beach volleyball, water polo, weight lifting? The fine-tuned, well-rehearsed, coached and trained Olympic athletes make competition look so simple. Anyone could do it. Ok, so I don’t see on TV the years of commitment to conditioning, failures, falls, miscues, competition and focus.

What about life? Some of us see people address issues of life with an incredible faith. We see others handling life issues with seemingly ease and poise and grace and dignity and composure that would derail most of us. Others overcome issues like hurt, loss, anger, disappointment, failure, illness, death, poverty, family crisis, vocational detours, hopes short-circuited, severed relationships. We see others rebound and pick up and move on with positive confidence and faith. They make it look so easy. I’m thinking Mother Teresa, Corrie Tenboom, Albert Schweitzer, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, to name a few. Or the Katrina survivors, or Greensburg, Kansas, or (you can name some too). They make it look so easy, kind of like the Olympic athletes.

It is an illusion. The strength, stamina, skill, agility, speed, and determination come through years of practice and support and focus. Not much different from our prayer/spiritual lives and our walk with Jesus Christ. Prayer and faith and discipleship rarely mature immediately. The way some go through life may make it appear that way, kind of like the athletes in China.

That is why worship and Christian education, and bible study and daily prayer and meditation are so significant. They are part of our spiritual conditioning.

Check out 1 Corinthians 9 and Hebrew 12. You may as well read all of both chapters.

God’s blessings be with you,