I love the Olympics. For 2 weeks every two years, we see the world come together in an amazing display of athleticism and artistry and nationalism. I love that random sports take center stage (hammer throw, dressage or track cycling anyone?), and that I find myself cheering as if I know what's going on. Especially fun for me are the special interest stories. You know, the feel good stories of how the families sacrificed and the athletes overcame all odds and how they've lived their whole lives for this single event?
Some of the stories truly are amazing. I've been so moved by Oscar Pistorius and his triumph over adversity. I heard it said that his mother used to tell him to just put on his legs and do whatever his brother was doing, whether running or climbing a tree. What a beautiful piece of parenting - calling out the destiny in her son.
Then there are those stories that you hear that just make your heart break. For example, the Chinese diver whose parents didn't tell her that her grandparents had died...SIX years ago! In an interview, the father said that he had given up his dreams of "family happiness" because he realized that she didn't belong to them only. They didn't tell her about her grandparents, because they didn't want to distract her from winning the gold medal in the Olympics.
It's amazing to hear families talk about how they sent their 12 year old to another state to train, or how their 6 year old was enrolled in an aquatic center, or how their child was home only 4 times in the last 12 years. In a similar fashion, the athletes talk about training for hours and hours and hours a day, and missing high school or childhood events. And all of this to win the gold medal. But, when they only win a silver, there is heartbreak, devastation, and shame. This happened to one of our US gymnasts this year. She was added to the team because of her vault super-power. Her entire Olympic experience was 5 vaults which took less than 5 minutes. And although she is the best valuter in the world, she sat down, and won silver. Her face showed it all. Ideally, she would have won gold. When she didn't, there was devastation.
On the flip side, you see athletes who come in with absolutely zero chance of winning, but come in and give it their all. Take, for instance, the rower from Africa who came in almost 2 minutes after everyone else had already finished. He was just thrilled to be there. And, what about that Missy Franklin? At 17, she has already won a couple of Olympic medals and has rocketed to athletic celebrity. After she came in 4th in one race, she was interviewed about how she felt (which, by the way, is the dumbest question ever-how do you think they feel?). She smiled, looked at the reporter straight in the eye and said, "I think that 4th in the Olympics is pretty good, don't you?" As a side note, Missy has turned down multiple endorsement offers, choosing to remain amateur so she can continue to swim with her high school and eventual college teams.
My question is simple. "Is it worth it?" Is the gold medal the "ideal", or does it become an "idol"? Is it possible to strive toward perfection, but maintain balance? While the answer may differ, each of us must answer one question, "Who is my master?" I can tell you that athletics or striving for a gold medal will NEVER become my master (so I guess I can just check out here, right?). But, can I say without a doubt that there are no idols masquerading as ideals in my life?
Merriam-Webster defines "ideal" as a standard of perfection, beauty or excellence; an ultimate object of aim or endeavor. Another definition is "existing as a mental image or in fancy or in imagination only; lacking practicality". I must confess, I have had some "ideals" in my life (maybe still do). Ideally, I would love to be able to sustain my standard of living by writing music and traveling the world. Ideally, I would have 5 kiddos and a big house in the middle of nowhere (preferably somewhere in Europe). Ideally....Ideally....Ideally.... In the middle of chasing these "ideals", I somehow began focus on the fact that my current circumstances were less than ideal. Then I became ungrateful. Then I told God that His plans for me weren't "ideal". Wow, that hurts just typing that out. Whew.... Maybe that's why Jesus told us that "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other." (Matt 6:24a)
Now, for those who might get your knickers in a twist, I believe that God is a God of excellence. And I do believe that He has different giftings in and for each of us, which could look like training for hours every day to become a gold medalist. You are not an idol worshiper if you want to be the best in your field. Ideally, we would be the top of our given fields. All I am saying is that our hearts can be fickle, and sometimes we get our vowels crossed. Let's be a people of ideals, not idols.
"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." ~1 Cor 9:24
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