Olympics and Spirituality (Part 2)

One of the reasons I love the Olympics is the level of competition. Its incredible to watch the talent of these athletes. But its not just their talent. Its their commitment to the sport. Their work ethic. Their drive. Their passion. And money's not involved. Its all about competing for the sake of competition.

I believe this is what makes people want to watch the Olympics. We are witnessing the very best in the world compete against one another.

I find myself wondering what it would be like to be that good at something. Then I think, unless your a superhero, it doesn't just happen. It takes practice, training and talent. So even if I wanted to compete with Michael Phelps (after all, I'm 6'6" and he's only 6'4"), I seriously doubt I have the natural talent that he has in the pool, so all the training and practice in the world would never get me to where he is. So, I have to ask myself, what can I train in, what can I be the best at.

You know what I came up with? Relationships. If God is calling me to be good at anything, its at relationships. Including my family, my friends, my co-workers, my acquaintances and so on. I can practice being the best husband I can be to my wife by learning from other husbands who are doing things right. I can train myself to be a good parent by paying attention to other parents that have gotten it right and by reading good books on parenting. I can be a good friend and co-worker by relating to them the way I would want them to relate to me.

The sad part is we don't get a medal. The good part is we have more than one chance every four years to love well.

So, how's your relationships? Are you working on them? Just like an Olympic athlete, the best way to work on your relationsihps is to work on yourself. Remember, the only person you can change is yourself.