Have you been watching the Olympics?  WOW!  Those athletes are so fit!  Muscles galore!

I think about all the training those athletes do – hours and hours day after day for years.  They have to be so disciplined and then in just a short amount of time, those events are over.  Whether it’s a couple of hours for a soccer game or a couple of seconds for the 100 meter dash, it’s over so quickly.

For some it’s worth all the work as they hold the medal while standing on the podium.  For others it’s worth all the work to even get the opportunity to compete.  And still for others there may be an aching to have to return to your own country empty-handed yet still worth it to be filled with special memories of the experience.

Our lives can sometimes feel like a race.  We may feel as though we are training for the Olympics each day with routines and schedules… running the marathon of jobs, kids, extra curricular events, exercise and daily chores.  But don’t give up.  Put God first and He will help you through your life on earth to give you Hope for eternity.

Isaiah 40:30-31 says “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I don’t believe this verse is specifically referring to running and competing in the Olympics but rather about life with Christ.  Sometimes we get tired of trying to live a life for the Lord.  Everyday we stumble and fall as sin works its way into our lives.

But never give up the fight for eternity in heaven.  We have hope in the Lord.  He will give us strength to fight the devil every day.  He will give us hope in a world that seems hopeless.  And one day we will realize that we are soaring.  We have strength to run and not grow weary and walk and not be faint when we are running for the right things.

Just like training for the Olympics, life in Christ is NOT going to be easy but the work and endurance through the struggles will be worth all the gold in heaven.

Today… follow Jesus like the Olympian you are!