Ever upward

Last night's Theology on Tap featured Olympian Rebecca Dussault talking about the similarities between training to be a world-class athlete and training our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls for "athletics" of a different kind. As we marvel at the Olympians right now in Sochi and the sacrifice, dedication, heartache, and triumph, it's amazing how many of these lessons apply to our daily lives.

First of all, there are many different types of athletes. I liked this distinction. As an athlete, I appreciate the perseverance, sacrifice, and dedication required of reaching physical goals. But I know not all people relate to that, and the more out of shape I become, the harder it is to identify as an athlete. Rebecca reminded us that you can be a spiritual athlete, mental athlete, emotional athlete. Merriam-Webster defines an athlete as "a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina". Take just the underlined part. An athlete is someone who is trained or skilled in anything requiring strength, agility, or stamina. Taken that way, almost anything can become an athletic pursuit. Not only can, but must. Prayer, fasting, altruism, selflessness, learning, mastering a new skill, ingraining a habit, anything requiring discipline. As someone who hates to lose (and knowing that God has instilled that in me), I can turn any pursuit into a "sport".

That being said, we can apply the principles of athletic success to these pursuits. The awareness of what gifts and resources we have (as Rebecca said, she wasn't built to be a gymnast or a swimmer), the enlisting of support from those around us ("coaches", "teammates", "trainers"), the endurance of hardship for a higher goal, not taking the easy road, picking yourself up after defeat, humility in success, inviting God along for the journey.

I will never stand on an Olympic podium (unless Sudoku becomes an Olympic sport), but I can be victorious over the obstacles in my pursuit of a higher goal--heaven. I can defeat laziness, selfishness, gluttony, comfort, shyness, fear, doubt. With my Heavenly Father and the Communion of Saints (both in heaven and on earth) on my side, I figure I'm a favorite to win.