THOSE THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT

Those that Didn’t Make It

Now that I”m here in the Olympic Village, a few days before the Games begin, you can feel the energy and excitement. But for every athlete that’s here there are several that came close but didn’t get named to their teams. This may seem obvious, but for many the disappointment of failing to realize their ultimate aspiration can be devastating. I think of our Calgary Oval bible study attender, Anna of the US speed skating team. She finished the trials as the 2nd alternate in every speed skating event for the USA. In the process she set a couple of personal bests, but her life-long goal of making to the big show fell just short.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a crushed Brock K. who received a call on Christmas eve from his bobsled federation that he was to come home. They decided to replace him with someone else and thus his Olympic comeback after radical hip reconstruction surgery was over. Oh, and by the way, “Merry Christmas”.

But it’s at times like this when we’re at our lowest that we sometimes, almost in desperation, look outward for help from God. In part that’s why we have a chaplaincy at the Olympics. Yesterday a young Christian biathlete came in with the news that his grandfather had just passed away. It was a comfort and encouragement for him to talk, pray and be listened to.
Perhaps each of us are surrounded by people carrying hurts and dissappointments. If we could just be tuned in to what’s going on in their lives and ask some caring questions, who knows how deeply God could use us in their lives.