Sports Displays Life

I really enjoy much about sports. One significant thing is the stories-that-relate-to-life. For example, in the 2004 Summer Olympics, Matt Emmons was just focusing on staying calm. He wishes he had been more concerned with where he was shooting.

Emmons fired at the wrong target on his final shot, a simple mistake that cost the American a commanding lead in the 50-meter three-position rifle final and ruined his chance for a second gold medal.

A story of triumph in the face of adversity from the same 2004 Summer Olympics, relates to gymnast Paul Hamm. After three rounds, Hamm held a good position, but a disastrous fall on the vault, in which he nearly fell into the judges' bench, dropped him to 12th place and he looked to be completely out of the running for any medals. (He is close enough to grab the judge's phone and call his dad to come and pick him up early!)

However, numerous faults by the other gymnasts, combined with Hamm's performance on the parallel bars, returned him to fourth place after the fifth rotation. Then, his high bar routine gained him a score of 9.837, winning him the gold medal by a margin of .012, the closest in Olympic Gymnastics history.

A story closer to home, literally, is of gymnast Shawn Johnson. She has won numerous championships and recently the US Olympic Trials. She just turned 16 and lives in the same town as I.

A compelling portion of her continuing story happened when a news reporter asked Shawn what it feels like to win the US Women’s Olympic Gymnastic Trials. She said: It is the feeling of hard work paying off. (Note: She has been training for 13 years.)

When I heard her say that, I thought about the “hard work” of spiritual growth. The following two verses came to mind:

Proverbs 23.12: Apply your heart to discipline and your ears to the words of knowledge.

1Timothy 4.7: But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

This question also came to mind: In what area am I “applying my heart to discipline” with the purpose of growing spiritually? Horace Mann is quoted as saying, “Habit is a cable; we weave a thread each day, and at last we cannot break it.” What spiritual habit am I working to develop so that I can see the hard work pay off?

Most research indicates that developing a new habit requires devoting 15 minutes a day for 30 days. We each have 96 15-minute segments in our day. Can you afford to invest one of those in establishing a new spiritual discipline? Let me know how it goes in 30 days.