Wow... the Summer Olympics are just a little over a couple of weeks away. I'm kind of torn, this year... I love "the games", but I'm a little conflicted over the fact that they're in China this time. Oh well, politics are not SUPPOSED to have any part in it, and just between us, I sure hope they don't. The competitors deserve better than that.
I know that there are two Olympics... summer and winter. I just can't get fired up over the winter games. Maybe it's because I've never shushed down the side of a mountain or performed a triple toe loop. Maybe it's because I can't seem to get excited watching 5 guys from Norway ski for 367 miles, up-hill and down, then stop and shoot a little .22 cal. rifle, throw it back over their shoulder and take off for another 300 miles or so. Anyhow, the winter games just don't float my boat. Ahhh, but the summer games... now that's a different story.
The swimming, diving, track and field, basketball, boxing, wrestling, weight lifting, and so much more, all of which, I love to watch. Perhaps it's the idea of an athlete training for his or her whole life for the ONE opportunity to step onto the world stage and for that one day... that one instant in time... be the very best on this planet at that one event. Even the concept of that is exciting to me. To watch these amazing athletes compete against one another and against the clock, is a wonderful spectacle worth the investment of my time.
But the one venue that always captures my attention is... are you ready for this?... men's gymnastics. Yep... men's gymnastics. And there's a very logical explanation for my fascination with it. You see, when I was a college student, my education was paid for with an athletic scholarship. Playing football paid my way... and yes... we DID have helmets!!! My nose may not look like it, but we did, and that's another story, altogether. By now, you're probably wondering what THAT'S got to do with my fascination with men's gymnastics. I'll explain.
My junior year in college, while attending West Texas State University in Canyon, the head coach decided that during the off season, during the spring semester, all the players had their choice; they could either take ballet, or gymnastics... but we had to choose ONE... and take the course. Figuring my masculine ego might take some serious hits if I were forced to wear a tu-tu and tippy-toe around some stage to Mozart, I made a dash for the gymnastics sign-up. BIG MISTAKE!... no... HUGE MISTAKE!!!
Our class consisted of about 2 serious gymnastic students and 35 football players, most of which were linemen, like myself. To pass the course, all we had to do was successfully complete ONE gymnastic maneuver on each apparatus... ONE... that's all... just ONE simple move. I'm not proud of this, but on my college transcript, the one failing grade I had at W.T. was in gymnastics. Yep... I failed. Not only could I not do ONE simple maneuver on each apparatus... I don't think I did one simple maneuver on ANY apparatus. It was horrible... it was nothing less than sheer torture. The instructor was also the gymnastics coach for the school, and you can't even begin to imagine his frustration over the fact that here were 35 LARGE individuals taking up his time. One guy mounted the parallel bars and broke them. Another guy took a running start, hit the spring board to jump over the horse in what they call a vault... the spring board exploded into a thousand pieces... he crashed the horse and broke it... and the rest of us pulled rib cage muscles from laughing so hard. The high bar was one of my favorites... and all we had to do was mount the bar, swing back and forth until we could just swing all the way over it. Now when you watch those guys on TV in the Olympics, they do that just so they can get some momentum for what they REALLY want to do. Couldn't do that either. The rings... you know, the two little rings that hand down from the ceiling... me and 2 other guys separated a shoulder just trying to do a hand-stand.
It was horrible... by far my worst experience in college. But from then on, I have never looked at men's gymnastics the same. Those guys are the strongest, most coordinated, agile, athletes I have ever seen. And what's truly amazing, is that they make it LOOK SO EASY! Trust me... it ain't!
And thinking about that, got me to thinking about how Christians work so hard at trying to be what they were never intended or gifted by God to be. If we could just somehow come to grips with the fact that God calls each person and uniquely gifts them to not only get by, but to excel in their calling, oh how the body of Christ would flourish and thrive. We've somehow made a terrible error in trying to decide what we would be good at, rather than DISCOVER what we're good at. When we finally get to the point where we hear God's call... respond to it... and use those gifts He's given us... whatever they are... then the church will be a remarkable thing to behold. Figuratively speaking, in a vague spiritual sense, if the football players would stay out of gymnastics class... and not tear everything up... it would all be a lot better for everyone... wouldn't it?
That one semester, way back then, taught me that I had no future in gymnastics... but I have wondered how I'd do in the 3 meter platform diving competition. Hey... it's Just A Thought.
Pastor Eddy
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