Olympian of all time?
During the last few days billions of fans have been anxiously watching the best of athletes from around the world compete in the Beijing Olympics. It may not be an exaggeration to say that the world seems to have paused for a few days as the best of athletes of each nation compete for the ultimate glory. It was really fascinating to watch athletes from different nations gather under the Olympic banner with its five interlocking rings representing unity among the nations of Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia and Europe. They not only stood together taking the Olympic oath to uphold the highest ideals of sportsmanship, but also to give their absolute best to strive the Olympic ideal: Citius, Altius, Fortius (Swifter, Higher, Stronger).
What we see on our TV screens is often a result of years of training and preparation for this final test. Some of these athletes sweat and sacrifice for many years and sometimes decades for the chance to compete, and hopefully win a medal or two. For many, winning an Olympic medal is a once in a lifetime experience, nothing comes closer to the glory and the elation one could experience receiving the honor for your nation and yourself only a select few gifted and dedicated men and women achieve. After I read some details of how hard these athletes work towards their goal and how young they start, I am just amazed at Michael Phelps achievement of 11 Olympic gold medals with his world record-breaking performances back to back. After his recent achievements some sports journalists said “he is among the most decorated Olympian of all time”.
One of the realities that we miss during Olympics is for every one successful person who ends up getting a medal there are tens and hundreds who fail, falter and fall short of the level of competition.
I agree that he is probably one of the most decorated Olympian of our generation but I am just not sure if we can ever use “of all time” because someone may accomplish or get more medals than him in the future. Therefore it’s probably safe to say he is one of the best of our generation or century. Similar things were said about Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, undoubtedly they have raised the bar to a very high level, but there is no guarantee that nobody will beat those records. In all sports records become the target for the next generation to aim higher and establish new records.
“The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.” No earthly records are permanent and no earthly honor is for all time. They are all temporary and will fade sooner or later.
The Bible is full of metaphors that compare our Christian life to that of an athlete. Pastor Andy O Dowd says “In many ways the Olympics, with all the spills, falls, triumphs, and failures seem to be a good metaphor for life. We start out with every intention of succeeding and winning the gold medal, but we trip and stumble, falter, fall and if we are fortunate, get up and try again. Life, like the Olympics, is not so much about winning as it is about trying valiantly.” One of the realities that we miss during Olympics is for every one successful person who ends up getting a medal there are tens and hundreds who fail, falter and fall short of the level of competition. They are not losers because they did not get a medal; they are the people who make the competition stiff and tougher by their valiant effort. They are not part of the glory, they are not covered by the media, but they are the reason these competitions are so exciting.
There is great pleasure, honor and glory in earthly achievements, but we will always have to remember that this is temporal. No earthly records are permanent and no earthly honor is for all time. They are all temporary and will fade sooner or later. If you expect these achievements to give you eternal satisfaction, you will be very disappointed. After winning his second Wimbledon a reporter asked Boris Becker “How does it feel?” Becker’s shocking answer was “I still battle daily with the decision of whether or not to commit suicide”. Mel Gibson told Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Primetime live the reason he turned to God in these words “Let’s face it; I have been to the pinnacle of what secular Utopia has to offer. I got money, fame, this, that and the other… It wasn’t enough. It’s not good enough. It leaves you empty. The more you eat, the emptier you get.”
Rick Warren in ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ says “Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth. They want to be remembered when they’re gone. Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says. What people fail to realize is that all achievements are eventually surpassed, records are broken, reputations fade, tributes are forgotten. In College, James Dobson’s goal was to become the school tennis champion. He felt proud when his trophy was prominently placed in the school’s trophy cabinet. Years later, someone mailed him that trophy. They had found it in a trashcan when the school was remodeled. Jim said “Given enough time, all your trophies will be trashed by someone else.” Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal. A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy. You weren’t put on earth to be remembered.” Let us never forget that the only rewards that last for all time are the rewards from God.
“Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth. They want to be remembered when they’re gone…What people fail to realize is that all achievements are eventually surpassed, records are broken, reputations fade, tributes are forgotten.” – Rick Warren
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
