Whose Voice

https://youtu.be/JniLkO5_pv4

For this blog to make sense you need to catch the YouTube video of the 2020 Olympic Games 100 meter final. I am a huge Olympics fan. I love watching the different athletes compete and seeing the emotion on their faces after the race. After watching this video there are two things that I want to point out. If you haven't already, stop reading, and hit play on the video. Then, come back to reading. This particular race is the 100 meter final for the 2020 Olympics that were supposed to happen last year but, they ended up happening this year due to the Pandemic. The title of the "Fastest Man" in the world was up for grabs. This was the first Olympics since Usain Bolt had retired, meaning someone new would definitely have the title at the end of this race. Usain Bolt had won this race the previous three Olympics in a row. To get to this race, the runners had to have already ran a Olympic Trials race in their country. Then, they would have had to run a quarter finals and a semi-finals race race as well. The winner of the race usually always runs under 10 seconds, meaning there is a lot of preparation that goes into this race with a very short performance window.

After watching the video you will notice that the runner from Great Britain took himself out of the race because he was too excited and he was reacting to something without actually listening to the sound of the gun. Can you imagine the disappointment of that athlete. He has probably been working up to that moment for the past 5 years. He has spent years training, traveling, and preparing. He spent probably thousands of dollars traveling to and from the Olympics to have a chance at a race that was under 10 seconds long and he took himself out of it by over-reacting to a sound that didn't even happen. Gosh. How terrible.

The first question I will ask myself and you is have you ever taken yourself out of the metaphorical race because you reacted to a situation? Have you ever popped off and said something you shouldn't have, or made a poor decision because you reacted.

If you watched the whole race all the way to the end you will see that the Italian runner won. But, he only won by like hundredths of a second. Every runner was basically within 2 tenths of a second of each other. Again, all of that effort to prepare for a race that you could either win or lose by hundredths of a second.

The second question I will ask myself and you is, what is slowing you down in the metaphorical race you are running right now? Are there things in your life that are keeping you from winning in the areas that you desire to win? Are there distractions and hindrances that are keeping you from completing what you have set out to accomplish.

May these two questions and this post help you contemplate where you are reacting and where you need to get rid of the things slowing you down.

Here's to truly winning at life with your family, in your ministry, and with your faith. Remember that winners win!

Hebrews 12:1-2

(1)Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of Fatih, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (2)We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside god's throne.