Watching the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea has been invigorating. Fantasizing soaring off a ski jump five stories high; performing Shawn White half-pipe, snowboard acrobatics; and skiing downhill at 80+ mph with Lindsey Vonn provide a vicarious adrenaline rush for this ‘ole’ duffer. Then reality sets back in . . . for me to do so would be tantamount to entering the Indy 500 with a Studebaker. At 75, I’ve arrived at the next to last stage in life . . . OLD . . . the next stage is under ground .
One event struck me as depicting life’s journey here. Olympic biathlon athletes navigate five loops on a challenging up/down, circuitous route on cross-country skis with a rifle slung over their backs. On the first four loops they stop, unsling their rifles, and shoot at five targets. Each one they may miss requires skiing a short side loop before resuming the other competitors on to the main trail. Ultimately, the winner doesn’t belong solely to the fastest, but to those who also possess the skill to pause, focus, and hit the target. All who qualified to enter finished, but only three medaled.
Regrettably, during my circuitous Christian walk, my focus has often been more on speed than on pausing, focusing, and hitting the target of what really matters in life. Consequently, I’ve never ‘medaled’. But . . . the Good News . . . because of Him alone, I’m a qualified son, and will someday cross the finish line and receive a crown with those who earned Gold, Silver and Bronze on the podium . . . PTL!
Abba's Art 