Sandra Raluca Izbasa realizing she won gold

Like many of you, I’ve been following some of he Olympic games, and what impresses me the most this time is how old covenant these games are. For the most part, the athletes who made the trek to London deserve to be there and for sure, all medalists deserve their medal. They worked for it; they earned it. It’s all about performance. Every athlete that has been interviewed after winning has pointed to the hard work, effort and support it has taken to get them to this place. It’s almost exhausting watching them go through what they have to go through.

And think about the losers. For every medalist, how many unknowns return home empty handed?

Yet there are plenty of moments of grace – most of these exhibited in the humble attitudes of the winners who dreamed about winning, but can’t believe it when it actually happens. These can be seen in the first blush of victory for those like swimmer Missy Franklin who are too young to have realized they could actually compete at this level, much less win; or in the amazement of those not expected to win, such as Sandra Raluca Izbasa from Romania who won the women’s vault when McKayla Maroney, the hands-down favorite, fell on her second vault; or in the sheer joy of Serena Williams dancing on the pinnacle of the world’s tennis stage, having begun her life seemingly trapped in the projects of Compton, California. Not to mention the opening and closing ceremonies that capture the amazement of even the most proud and jaded athletes when they realize the grand stage they are on, and the huge number of participants from all over the world.

And then there is this surprising passage, from Paul, the architect of new covenant faith, and the proponent of grace over law:

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. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

This is not about salvation; it is about living a life of faith on a day-to-day basis. It’s not about one event every four years; it’s about running the race every day. It’s about the effort that goes into saying “No” to self and Yes” to God and His plans for my life. It’s not about earning anything; it’s about making use of what God has given us in order to live in a manner worthy of our calling. To that end, we can take these fine Olympic examples and apply them to our daily challenges of faith.

In that case, go for the gold! Today!