When you wobble off course...

Felix Loch’s error robbed him of a gold medal. Photograph: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

Olympic fever is starting to infect a lot of folks… I’m one of them. I tune in each evening to see what is going on. The skill and stamina needed to excel in these sports is pretty spectacular… well, except for curling; I don’t really understand that one. But the guts needed to perform on the world stage, with four grueling years of prep all building to one huge moment, with so much at stake, is amazing to witness.

I was watching the men’s luge the other night, an event in which as an American has never finished higher than 4th. The leader, a German, who was a two-time Olympic champion, was on his final run. He had a massive lead. All he needed was a very average run down the course to win his third Olympic gold in a row. But along the way, he lost control, wobbled off course and ended up slipping to 4th, completely out of the medals. The American, Chris Mazdzer, won silver! Best finish ever for USA.

While we see great triumphs in the Olympic Games, we also witness epic collapses and failures. I’ve heard it called the “agony of defeat.” The truth is we all experience failures in the game of life. We can wobble off course; nobody is perfect. We know the agony of defeat too, don’t we? The Bible is clear about that. (Rom. 3:23) Failure has plagued us since the beginning of time and it separates us from God. (Ref. Gen. 2-3) But thankfully, God has a plan to restore us! A plan to save us from the sin and despair that plagues us and ruins our relationship with Him and others.

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. We were intimately created by God to love Him and to be loved by Him. He has gone to great lengths to show us how much He loves you and me. For much more, listen to Essentials Part 6 - Salvation.