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Daily devotion
Swimming Blind
By Dee Aspin
CBN.com-- "How come you ripped your
goggles off after that race Michael?" the interviewer asked after Michael Phelps won another
gold medal. "Was something going on there?"
"My goggles filled with water as soon as I dove in the water," the
superstar stated matter-of-fact.
"So you swam the entire race unable to see?" the commentator was
incredulous.
His silence spoke volumes. There was no opportunity to adjust them once
the race started. He finished with gold and broke another world record.
Surprising?
Later we learned his coach purposely stepped on his goggles at a meet
two years ago and broke them. It may have seemed like a senseless
gesture then, but it sure makes sense now.
"That's what a good coach does," the gym trainer told me this morning
while he monitored his trainee's water exercises:
“About fifteen years ago at Cherry Island when Tiger Woods
was in the youth circuit, I was on the green when he and his dad showed
up to practice. Tiger dumped a bunch of balls out of the bag and spread
them around the ground preparing for practice.”
“’Oh, no you don't!’ His dad walked from
one ball to the other and planted his foot on top of each one pressing
it firmly into the earth. ‘There's no easy lie around
here,’ he said shaking his head from side-to-side.”
‘What does that mean?" I asked the trainer.
"It means Tiger was going to have to get his club underneath the ball
because it was wedged into the dirt. He didn't get easy hits."
Each ball was a mini-trial. His dad wasn't making practice fun. He was
making it hard.
And look what he produced?
What is God, our coach, producing in you and me? Do we question his
love when the hardships come? How does a good father train up his child?
In 2 Timothy Paul writes a letter to his protégé Timothy, from prison - a Roman dungeon. He is preparing to pass him the
torch, the stewardship of the gospel:
"You then my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." (2
Timothy 2:1)
The strength he described was from God. Timothy would be empowered by
grace, a divine gift (grace, charis) we all possess in Christ. He told
Timothy to entrust the gospel to reliable or faithful men who will also
be qualified to teach others. Timothy did his job.
We have received the torch. It has passed through many hands down
through the ages.
Today, in 2008, we are entrusted with the gospel. Are we
running the race? How are we handling the hardship? Are we sharing our
faith shamelessly as Paul admonished Timothy in some of his last words
before he was beheaded?
"Keep reminding them of these things" (2 Timothy 2:14) he told Timothy.
So we are reminded to be dedicated as soldiers, diligent as farmers,
disciplined as athletes. Training isn't easy. The Master himself had a
grueling race on earth. Jesus never said it would be easy, but
he did say "all things are possible." And today he coaches
us from His vantage point, knowing how to instruct us best and
encourage us on our individual course, from his seat at the
right hand of the Father.
"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly anyone who competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." 2 .” Timothy 2:3-5
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