Everything we do -- every human institution, every tradition, every major event -- relates directly back to our status as spiritual beings. As the children of an eternal God, we are creatures with a spiritual origin and the capacity for an eternal destiny. As such, everything we do in life resonates from this spiritual fact. The echoes of origin and destiny can be seen in every part of human experience.
The Olympics are a glowing example of this "echoes of origin and destiny." We watch sports we would otherwise not be interested in -- some watch even though they are not interested in sports at all -- all because of our hope for victory. While there are strong elements of national pride involved, it all boils down to our innate sense of victory. As spiritual creatures, we are hard-wired to desire the ultimate victory, and therefore even those living hedonistic and atheistic lifestyles cannot avoid the reverberations of what God so certainly has fused within them. When we revel in the possibility of human achievement -- when we embrace utter strangers in the stands while joyfully celebrating a championship victory -- we are acting on that key spiritual impulse. And yet the joy of even the most hoped-for and improbable of victories is short-lived, and no more than a brief echo of what eternity can promise us.
The spiritual person will revel in an event like the Olympics, but also see the deeper meaning behind it. They will take the lessons learned from such dedicated athletes, and "run the race to win." There is no coincidence that holy scripture compares the life journey to a race, as life is an event with both winners and losers....and when the winners cross the finish line, the celebration will exceed our wildest dreams and fulfill our deepest hopes. God is desperately rooting for you to "run the race to win," and is waiting to joyously welcome you home.
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