Dear Family and Friends,

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games are now sadly over. Although understandably different, it left us with so many memorable moments. Mine was when I learned that an Olympic gold medalist and I grew up in the same valley – Go Palolo!

But what I enjoyed most about this Olympic Games was watching the reactions of the parents and friends cheering on the athletes. At times, it was hard to tell who was happier, the athletes or their parents. 

Today, in the spirit of the Olympics, let’s look at a curious passage Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. This is one of those passages we usually put aside for a rainy day. You know, the day we have absolutely nothing else to do but look up what a verse really means. 

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV

It’s important to note that Corinth was the home of the Isthmian Games, named after the Isthmus of Corinth. These games were held the years immediately before and after the Olympic Games. Paul was using a runner competing in the Games as a metaphor for our “run” as Christ followers.   

Despite how it may seem, Paul is not suggesting we are in a race against fellow Christians for some prize only one of us will win.

Not for our race. 

So, what exactly is Paul trying to say when he says to run in such a way as to win? And as a competitor, to go into strict training?

To help me answer these questions, here is an excerpt from a Sports Illustrated article whose title says it all: I’ve Covered Nine Olympics. Nothing Prepared Me for Seeing My Daughter Win a Medal. (By Pat Forde on his Silver Medalist daughter, Brooke Forde)

“The neighborhood pool races where winning a heat ribbon was a triumph. The jump up to the year-round team, and the excitement of overnight trips from home in Louisville to exotic locations like Indianapolis and Nashville. The advancement to two-a-day practices and 4:20 a.m. wake-ups, where breakfast with teammates was the reward before heading off to school. Earning a black national team swim cap—a true stamp of arrival. Then the bigger meets all over the country, and eventually the chance to represent the United States internationally in Singapore, Europe, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.”

Yes, the road to the Olympics is long and hard. It requires dedication, perseverance, hard work, sacrifices and so much more. 

Paul is saying that our “run” as followers of Christ is no different. Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV gives us a hint of what we are racing against, “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

Is short, we are running against our old selves, our sinful ways, selfishness, pride, and other destructive ways of our past. 

Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking this is an easy race. No, our race requires that we be Olympians too!

But unlike the Olympics, we can all be winners and all take home the gold.

To do so, we need to get off the couch. And want to be more than just a “finisher.” Paul is asking that we truly dedicate the entirety of our lives to Jesus, and run to win, and persevere, and sacrifice, and train just as Olympic athletes do. 

Is it worth it? Before answering that, let’s take a look at what Pat Forde wrote about his daughter’s Olympic swim. 

“What happened next was my moment of the Olympics. After touching the wall, being congratulated by her relay mates and checking the scoreboard, Brooke looked up and found me in the stands. The look on her face wasn’t clearly visible from where I stood in the arena, but the slow-motion TV replay made my heart grow three sizes that day. Her countenance radiated joy, satisfaction and relief.”

Don’t we all want to make our Heavenly Father’s already huge heart grow three sizes? Wouldn’t that alone make it all worthwhile?

Then let’s get in the race. Let’s run to win!

For that to happen I know there is much more training in store for me. How about you?

All the Olympic participants, the winners and all others, will soon go through a period of self-assessment. This is the first step to improving their performance. As Olympians for Jesus, perhaps today might be a good day to start our own self-assessment.

Start by imagining yourself sitting up in the stands watching yourself go through your daily activities, how you relate to friends as well as foes, whether your thoughts and your actions are focused on God, or just yourself.

Imagine how you look to God, the One who sees our hearts every minute of every day.  

As you sit up in the stands, do you like what you see? Or is there room for improvement?

If you feel like you may be letting God down, please stop. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He understands.

Regardless of our condition, God is sitting up there in the stands cheering us on. How can our Father not be joyful when His children realize they have to stop jogging, pick up the pace, and start training and running to win?

Let’s go Team Jesus. Let’s make our Father proud. The crown that He is saving for each one of us will one day be in sight. 

In love always,