Blade Runners!

Now that the 2012 Summer Olympics are over and all the hoopla and glitter attending these games has faded, the Olympic athletes have returned back to their homelands amongst new found fame and possibly extravagant pay days. Their performances thrilled and inspired billions of people throughout the entire world while their personal stories of facing and overcoming tragedy to attain unbelievable success allow the rest of us to identify with these incredible athletes on a more personal level.

Most of us could never imagine the sacrifices these athletes make in order to be the best that they can be in their particular events. Gruesome training regimens, long isolated hours away from family and friends, diets consisting of food that would make a billy goat vomit, and the astronomical cost for personal trainers, dietitians, travel, and public relations personal can make even the most publicity seeking narcissist athlete consider another line of passion.

With all that being said, there was one athlete who really caught my attention because of the severe handicap he had to overcome in his preparation for the 2012 Olympics. His name is Oscar Pistorius, and he is from South Africa.

Oscar made headlines all across the world for his participation in the 400-meter sprint in the 2012 Olympics. Now that might not be earth shattering news to most of us, but the unique thing about Oscar is that he double leg amputee! When Oscar was 11, he suffered from a bone defect that required both legs to be amputated below the knees. He now walks and runs on two carbon fiber blades, which earned him the famous nickname "Blade Runner." Watch Oscar in the video below and you will come away with a greater appreciation for the disappointments, challenges, and difficulties he must have faced in life!

The reason that I bring up this highly inspiring story is as Christians, we all face many obstacles that must be overcome or circumvented in our walk with Christ. For people such as Oscar, they may suffer from some type of disease or injury that severely hampers them in the things they can and cannot do. For others, it may be emotional or spiritual damage that they must address and somehow overcome. These obstacles are never easy, but they do resound in glory for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinthians 4:8: 

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Like the Olympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius, may we run the race that God has marked out before us with wisdom, confidence, and endurance, running in such a way as to obtain the ultimate prize. May we overcome all the obstacles we face through an undying faith in God's power and providence as we rely on the strength he provides and assurance of his great promises toward us that believe!  And as Winston Churchill famously once said, "Never, never, never, never give up!" 

Stay Holy, My friends!

Pastor Don