With the Olympics on the go, it’s easy to forget that each athlete had to qualify to participate, often through a gruelling process over many years.
Qualifying for the Olympics
Time-trials are a necessary hurdle in the path of competitors. This separates those who are ready from those who would like to be, but simply aren’t. The first step in this direction is registering with a club and competing in a timed local race. If the race-time falls within the required range, there is the opportunity to take it to the next level. If not, excuses will not convince the authorities, whether “I had the virus last month”, “it was too cold to train before last week” or “I couldn’t afford new shoes”. It may not be kind, but it is fair and just. Qualifying at local events may lead to success at an approved Olympic-qualifying event – within an Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT) that enables us to represent our country at the games. This isn’t easy, since times are constantly updated based on competitions around the world. For example, Roland Schoeman’s silver-medal-winning time for the 100m freestyle swimming in 2004 (48.23s) would have made him 8th in the semi-final in 2016, and almost half a second behind the winner in the final, in a race measured in 1/100ths of a second.
Besides the need to qualify with an OQT, athletes also need to qualify ethically (within the rules regarding prohibited substances, tripping opponents etc). What a path to earn the right to compete, never mind win! And once at the games, there might be 3 weeks of waiting before the event, requiring resilience to stay calm and focussed.
The classic movie “Cool Runnings” chronicles the unlikely true story of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team who competed at the Winter Olympics (despite coming from a tropical nation with no snow). There is a beautiful scene where the disgraced and disrespected coach confronts the “Olympic Committee” and asks them to consider that his team are worthy competitors and have earned the honour of representing their country, whether they come first or 50th, and that if any debt is due, it should be meted out to him, rather than to his team*.
Qualifying to enter The Kingdom
Being worthy to race in The Kingdom means accepting by faith that we have been pre-qualified by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through the cross, He fulfilled all the laws on our behalf, meeting the stringent entry requirements of God’s Law and providing the resources and ‘visas’ needed for the Kingdom. He is our advocate before the Great Judge, being both fully man, familiar with our weaknesses, and fully God. His victory over sin and death is once-and-for-all. God knew that we could never meet the standard, no matter how good our works seem to be. He couldn’t change the rules of qualification, while remaining just and fair.
We could not move ourselves from death to life, darkness to light, sinfulness to salvation. We needed a Saviour, and Jesus volunteered to become one for us, submitting Himself to our human state for 33 years. We do not qualify for the Kingdom of God without Jesus: in fact, we were shamed, the laughing stock of the universe. But we have been called from our hiding places and can enter because of Jesus’ sacrifice. It is by grace we are saved (Ephesians 2:5), God’s unmerited favour. And, we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). God has done all that He needs to. What remains is for us to accept His incredible offer of entry, by faith, and to follow in His footsteps, “competing” by fulfilling our call and relying on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, as Jesus did.
The Kingdom Benefits
How humbling and invigorating! Jesus – the second Adam – undid the failings of the first Adam, whose original sin left us separated from God, banished from walking with Him daily, with death as our inheritance. Yet God had made a way for us to be reunited with Him via the sinless One qualifying us to enter the Kingdom, and to become shareholders (co-heirs) with God in the resources of Heaven (2 Peter 1:3). We have been provided with everything we need to run our race and win and no pandemic, earthquake or upheaval can stop His purposes being achieved.
Citizenship is the key qualifier for the Olympics – and it is our citizenship of Heaven that enables us to find our lane to run in, “feel God’s favour as we run” (as Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympian, says in Chariots of Fire) and to win the prize for which He called us.
As Citizens of Heaven, training is still difficult at times and physiotherapy is never fun, but we are being prepared for greater things – called to more and believing to dare! Jesus is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). Let us encourage each other to stay true to Jesus’ example, and remain free to compete (Galatians 5:1) with supporters cheering us on: the “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12).
– Hylton Gudmanz
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bpv4RYCVHE