2/8/2010 - Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics
I love watching the Olympics. To see people fulfill lifelong dreams is so exciting. You hear the stories of sacrifice and hard work and you root for the competitors wanting to see everyone do their best.
Watching the pairs figure skating finals, I was struck by one of these stories. The Chinese head coach was once laughed at when he and his partner skated in the world championships in the early 1980s. You see, no one from China had ever competed in pairs skating and he and his partner were under-trained and lacking basic skills. Fueled by this failure, he went home determined to coach young Chinese skaters and make the Chinese team a force to be reckoned with. His hard work was rewarded at this Olympics as his skaters captured the gold and silver medals. Talk about fulfilling a dream.
God wants to accomplish big things in our lives. He wants to take our meager, faltering efforts and turn them into gold medals. You see, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) While we were still stumbling around in our sin, under-trained and lacking in basic knowledge of God, God had already made a way out. Many of us have set our hope in that way, Jesus. We realize God holds us in His arms and forgives our every fault and failure. He lifts our head when we’re laughed off the ice and reassures us that, through Christ, we are victors in His eyes.
But do many of us also realize that He wants to do even more with us while we are still here on earth? He not only wants to give us victory over death, but also victory over life. Jesus said, “I came so they could have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (John 10:10, the Message) He wants to be our constant companion, intimate friend, and Lord. He wants to hang a medal around our necks and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13