Most of the world knows that the Winter Olympics began in Milan, Italy a week ago. My wife and I used to watch them regularly but as they became more political and corrupt we lost interest. Already this week there was some scandal involving the US figure skating team among others. This year I see nothing has changed.

This year we did not even know it was an Olympic year until it was mentioned the day of. It seems that a larger number of people aren’t as captivated by the event as in years past and it struggles to find the same audience it once had.

One story I remember vividly from years past was about a girl who won the gold medal in gymnastics one year at the summer Olympics. I remember watching her in competition that year and remembering her winning the gold and all the celebration after. Shortly after the interviews and endorsements you never heard about her again. The story I read started with somebody noticing that here the Olympic gold medal was for sale on Ebay. So the writer contacted her to find out why. About 10 years later after winning everything at the height of her physical ability see was now poor and living with somebody in an old trailer outside a big city. All endorsements and fame were long gone and she was now poor and unemployed. See was selling her medal to make some money just to survive. It is a sad tale that has happened to many who have competed, won at the highest level and experienced a steep decline into obscurity. A good number have found ways to repurpose their lives while others still clung to their past glory and could not go forward. The golden days of their life are now gone. This left them in a sense of hopelessness and despair.

I am reminded of a great passage in First Corinthians that reminds us that we are in a race. Only this one does not have a temporary high point followed by a steep decline.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24 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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

When you compete for the imperishable crown your enemy is not other people, you are not competing against your fellow man. It is Satan, Society, and self. You learn like an athlete to discipline and strengthen yourself to bring your whole mind and body to the competition knowing and fixing your eyes on the prize at the end. The great thing is this one has no end and only gets better. It is far more important than anything this world can ever offer us

Your Brother in Christ,

Steve Koenig

Lakeshore Fellowship