What would you be willing to sacrifice to compete in the Olympics and win a gold medal? Athletes sacrifice a lot to compete in the Olympics. When I was growing up, my family made many sacrifices so my siblings and I could achieve our athletic dreams.
Over the kitchen sink in my childhood home hung the plaque, “The family that prays together, stays together.” We did neither. Rather than serving as a meaningful motto that inspired a family to unite, the ignored words proved that the opposite was true.
So, what drove my family of origin apart? Something cataclysmic? Something dramatic? No, it was likely the slow drain of energy that I see in so many families around me. My siblings and I were all “jocks” and pretty good ones at that. My parents clung to both the steering wheel, driving us to and fro, and to the dream that we might someday receive college athletic scholarships.
In time, all three of us did, full rides. So, in that regard, my parents were the ones that really “scored,” or so they and their friends thought.
In hindsight, I wonder, what was it worth? When I think of the family dinners, vacations, Bible studies, or prayer times that didn't happen because of practice, camp, tournaments, etc., it's no wonder we didn't stay together. We were hardly ever together in the first place.
The bleachers replaced the kitchen table, and after a decade or so, I guess my parents didn't know what to say when there was nothing to cheer about.
Why share this with total strangers?
The Olympics inspire me. No, my siblings and I never measured up to that level of athletics, not even close. While I've looked forward to what Paris has to offer this summer, I'm tired of silently standing by and seeing friends and family alike pursue the same goals my family did and lose the same treasures right at home.
We look in horror when we learn of primitive religions that practiced child sacrifice. Still, sometimes I wonder why we offer our sons and daughters, en masse, to the Greek goddess Athena, the patron goddess of athletics, or to Nike, the goddess of victory, that will be stamped into the gold medals in Paris.
Students in Bureau County [where I lived when I first wrote this reflection] have many opportunities for athletic competition in schools, clubs, and traveling teams. There is one place, though, where students learned to pray together and stay together: Crossroads High School.1 At Crossroads, students trained their bodies and minds. One year, the entire student body ran or walked a 5k, completed a high ropes course, performed Shakespeare, held a debate, and conducted a mock trial with a guest lawyer presiding as judge.
Crossroads High School was a surprisingly affordable, private, Christian high school committed to providing an academically excellent education with a Biblically based worldview to prepare young people for a life of influence and service. Through top-notch teachers, students learned Biblical truths that gave them hope, knowing that God fearfully and wonderfully made them for a purpose.
Call to Action: Gold Medals for Everyone
Did you know that God created you to receive a gold medal?
God created each of us with a special plan and purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). Most importantly, God has “gold medals” prepared for everyone—not just one person—but for everyone who endures the race of life with Jesus as their Friend. With Jesus as our Friend, our eternity is secure, and when we finish the race, our “gold medals” (heavenly crowns) will await us.
Will you join me in praying for God to help us endure and finish the race with Jesus as our Friend? If we're willing to sacrifice a lot to receive earthly treasures, how much more should we be willing to sacrifice to receive heavenly treasures?
Let’s pray together, and as we do, we’ll stay close to Jesus, and soon be with one another and our “gold medals” along the sea of glass (Revelation 4:6).
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Jesus has “an imperishable crown” waiting for you and me (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
All scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
- Unfortunately, Crossroads High School had to close due to a lack of students.
