Citius, Altius, Fortius

Like a lot of people around the world, I have been all but glued to the TV for the past week and a half. In case you haven't heard, the Olympics are currently going in Beijing, China and there has already been quite a bit of history made. The Olympics are one of the few sporting events that my family actually enjoys watching (the other being the Super Bowl). It is amazing to see the miracle of the human body on display, and the physical and mental endurance shown by the athletes. But while the sports themselves are exciting (especially when my country wins), to me the best thing about the Olympics are the stories that go with each and every athlete.

One of the most inspiring stories is that of Derek Redmond, a runner from Great Britain. Though he was a World Champion and a British Record holder, injuries had kept him from competing at the 1988 games in Seoul. He underwent numerous operations and was finally ready to compete again in the 1992 Barcelona games. He won both the opening round as well as the quarter-final of the men's 400m and it seemed as if it would be smooth sailing through the rest of the rounds. In front of a crowd of 65,000, including his father, Redmond set off to continue his journey to a gold medal. But about 250m from the finish line, he heard a pop, felt a pain run through his leg and fell to the ground. At first he thought that he had been shot, but then realized that he had torn his hamstring. As he lay on the track, medical teams brought out a stretcher, ready to carry him off the field. But Redmond was determined to finish that race. He slowly got to his feet and hobbled towards the finish line, pain and heartache written all over his face. The other runners had already finished, but Redmond just kept hobbling. Then his father, Jim, appeared at his side after having barged past security guards to reach his son. Jim put his arm around his son's waist and together they crossed the finish line to a standing ovation. The Olympics had not ended as Redmond had thought they would. He had not gotten a gold, a silver or a bronze. He had simply finished the race.

As Christians, we too are in a race; a race that will require more endurance, more strength and more sacrifice than any athlete has. Pain and disappointment will come, like it did for Redmond. We will fall, we will cry, we will want to give up. But also like Redmond, we have a Father who is ready to pick us up, to put His arm around our waist and guide us to the finish line and the "imperishable crown" that awaits us there. Through Him we can finish the race, and through Him, we can be "Citius, Altius, Fortius".

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2