2012 Summer Olympics…Family Style

There’s just something about the Olympic games! I love it! Love the patriotism, the competition, the stories, the commercials…all of it! When I, otherwise, wouldn’t care to sit & watch a sporting event, I find myself staying up late, just to see who takes the medal. Before long I’ve developed a love for our countries’ athletes, as well as a few international ones. I admire their dedication to their sport. I am awed by their skill, their passion & their determination. They push way beyond themselves to represent their countries proudly.

We had a bit of an Olympic summer ourselves. I challenged our youngest and most fearful child, to make this “the summer of the dive.” This darling nine year old took my challenge and then surpassed my expectations. She began working on her dive with new fervor, and it paid off. She is now a delighted and decorated novice diver. I am so proud of her! To raise the difficulty level of her sport, she moved beyond her comfort zone of the pool to diving into the deep murky waters of Lake Chatuge. Up until now, she has echoed the sentiments of young Tantor, from Disney’s Tarzan. “Are you sure this is sanitary? Looks questionable to me!“

She also came up with her own self-challenges this summer. She conquered her fear of waves at our beach trip, with the help of her biggest brother. Rather then dreading those waves, now she duck dives right thru them. Another skill she developed was riding her bike with no training wheels. Falling down has always been deterrent enough to keep her from trying. Yet this was her time to step up to that fear and prove to herself that she could do this. And do it she did…without falling!

Now, I’m not saying that my child can do these things better than your child, or that she is anywhere close to Olympic level diving, swimming, surfing or biking. But she has definitely made it through the qualifying rounds. I am proud to support my little athlete in every way I can. I pledge to encourage her and lead her to Jesus with each and every fear she faces in her lifetime. I am sure there will be plenty of Olympic-sized fears or failures in her lifetime. But I also know that she is learning to face those fears one at a time, and go the extra mile to achieve the next honor. Think I’ll keep my pom poms and my tissues handy.

Phil 3:13-14 > “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”