“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.” (I Corinthians 9:25)
The Olympic Torch came through Griffin on Wednesday. Wow, what a day!
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling I had when I looked down South Sixth Street from my courthouse perch and saw Rosa Lee Stewart and Wyomia Tyus holding that torch, together. I realized as I stood there that Griffin was no longer thirty miles and twenty years from Atlanta. Indeed, that moment symbolized that the Olympic Torch meant much more than a one-time opportunity to partake in the Olympic fever that has so permeated the Atlanta area.
Our Torch Ceremony marked the beginning of a new em in Griffin and Spalding County. While we live in a diverse community and can often divide ourselves along racial, political or cultural lines, the nonsense of it all overwhelmed me when I saw what could happen when we drop our differences and work for a common goal. You see, these two women were celebrating more than the opportunity to carry the Olympic flame. In fact, the smiles of their faces reminded me of what the Apostle Paul once said, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (Philippians 3:13)
As I think back about that moment when I looked down on Rosa and Wyomia as they passed below me, I wonder now what God thinks as He looks down on me. These two ladies were community heroes who have brought distinction to their lives because of their accomplishments. Would God smile at me and my life with equal favor?
As Christians, we are all going to be held accountable for what we accomplish in life. We are also going to be held accountable for what we fail to accomplish. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to get the prize.” (I Corinthians 9:24)
The Bible tells Christians that we should “…press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called,..heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14) In other words, we spend far too much time focusing on things that do not matter to God. Instead, our attention should be directed towards the things that really matter. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18)
The fact is we live our lives for the present. We seek our rewards in this world even though the Bible tells us that the real rewards come much later, on the other side. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (II Corinthians 4:17)
I understand exactly what Paul means when he compares our Christian faith to a race, One day, God is coming back to judge, not to save. So, we are in a race for souls and time is running out. That’s why Paul says, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (II Timothy 4:8) Are you running in the race?
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