Olympic Dreams, Sophie’s Plans and God’s Will

Tomorrow the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games will begin (at 6:30 p.m. CST).  The best athletes in the entire world will compete on the highest level representing their countries and going for the gold.

Several of my friends are there competing, specifically Amanda Furrer, Sarah Scherer (who happens to be related to Charles Spurgeon) and Jonathan Hall, among others who will be reppin’ the USA in shooting.

I cannot tell you how happy I am for these amazing shooters and people who have overcome so much to be where they are right now- in London just about 24 hours away from the Opening Ceremony! They have each worked so hard and I am ridiculously proud of them and can’t wait to wake up in the middle of the night to watch them compete.

However, if I let it, it hurts my heart.

Because I’m not there.

You see, this was going to be my Olympics. I even told someone that in an interview when I was 13 years old. (You can read the article here… please don’t judge my picture or my perfectly-parted-down-the-middle hair… wow.)

From the time I first realized shooting was an Olympic event, I was going to win the gold. It was my dream forever. The hours of training, the traveling for national competitions, the expensive equipment, the elite camps, were all stepping-stones for my way to the World’s Stage where I would compete and win gold.

At least that’s how it was perfectly planned in my selfish, me-centered head.

But God.

…had other plans.

Better plans.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)

He knows my dreams and my heart’s deepest desire and He isn’t a God who will see that and then give me the exact opposite because He’s cruel. Absolutely not. He doesn’t promise to give me what Sophie thinks is best, He promises to give me His best. And I’m living it out.

I would not trade where God has me right now for competing in five Olympic Games.

God has allowed me to experience Him in ways that I never imagined through a job that I love, discipling a group of girls I adore and learning from some of the greatest people I know, all of whom are following hard after God.

So, back to what I said earlier: if I let it, the realization that I’m not there hurts my heart.

Emphasis on “if I let it.” It’s a choice, just like everything else in life. And I choose to be ridiculously happy for my friends competing in the Games and with where God has me right now, knowing it’s for my good and His glory and preparing me for a future only He can see. 

I will watch the Opening Ceremonies tomorrow night and cry as the athletes walk in and then I’ll proceed to cry during every medal ceremony. They won’t be tears of selfishness but tears of victory; victory with the ones winning the medals and victory with the One who created my heart and has fulfilled it to the uttermost.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold [Olympic gold] that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”(1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV)

Praising Him for my life that is going exactly as He planned,

Representing on the Highest Level

As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to represent the United States in the Olympics. I’ve dreamed of marching in the Opening Ceremonies, shooting my perfect match as a member of the USA Shooting Team, and being awarded the gold medal as my mom and dad cheer from the stands. What an honor it would be to compete on the World’s stage, representing my country.

But God has something even greater than the Olympic Games in mind for His children. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ.” The dictionary defines ambassador as: an authorized messenger or representative. As a Christian I now represent something of more value and worth than any country in any Olympic event; I represent Jesus.

Matt Wallis, chiropractor and man of faith, said “The greatest accomplishment in life is not winning eight gold medals in a single Olympics, but rather to have the glory of God written all over you.” When athletes compete in any sport on the Olympic level they have their country’s name written on their clothes, equipment, sometimes even tattooed on their skin. But to have the glory of God written all over me, and to have everyone know I represent Him without reading it on my clothes and without me saying any words, wow! Now that would be a true honor.

Greater still is that God would allow us to represent Him. We don’t deserve Him or His mercy in saving us, and even though we sin He still allows His name to be associated with us. If you win the gold medal in the Olympics and then test positive for drugs you lose the gold medal and your name gets erased from the record books. However, if we are truly saved and fall into sin God doesn’t take our salvation away and He doesn’t erase our name from the book of life. No, Jesus says in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.”

If we do win the gold, we have to remember that it will one day fade away as all earthly treasures will. In Psalm 19:10, David is talking about the commandments of the Lord and says, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, fine gold.” We are to strive for the commandments of the Lord more than gold, more than Olympic gold. Proverbs 3:13-14 says, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.” Again, the Bible is telling us that silver and even gold (Olympic medals or otherwise) are not what is to be treasured. It is God, His commandments, and His wisdom that we truly need to live for.

God has changed my desire of representing the USA in the Olympics, to a desire of wanting to represent my Father wherever He takes me. If He takes me to the Olympics that is amazing, but if He doesn’t have the Olympics in my path He is still amazing. He wants my dream, my goal, and my life to be all about representing Him.
I may never stand on the tallest podium and hear the star spangled banner play, but one day I will stand before the Father and I want to Him to say, “Well done good and faithful servant. You represented Me well.”