Many people around the globe have enjoyed watching the various events of this year’s Summer Olympics. From track to soccer to swimming and more, over 11,650 athletes will have competed in 339 events before it is all over. According to the Washington Post, somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals will be earned during the two weeks of competition.
While we marvel at the grace of the gymnasts, the speed of the runners, and the strength of the weightlifters, there’s much we do not see. Before arriving in Tokyo, each athlete has spent thousands of hours training and preparing. Multiply that by the number of competitors and you come up with an astounding amount of time focused on maximizing opportunities for a medal.
Thousands of coaches and friends have also helped along the way as individuals began training for these two weeks several years ago. Some have been anticipating these games all their lives as parents instilled Olympic dreams in their children and then sacrificed to fund and accommodate the rigorous routines necessary to eventually compete on the world stage.
Because similar competitions have existed for millennia, the Apostle Paul was familiar with them in the first century. Writing to Corinthian Christians, he observed even then that athletes didn’t just show up but that “everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training” (I Corinthians 9:25).
Coaching, teaching, and training are not unique to athletics, for the same techniques and discipline are required in music, medicine, oratory, academics, and every other field of endeavor. Success occurs when preparation meets opportunity. Without preparation, no amount of opportunity will matter.
Imagine a runner attempting the 400 meter hurdles having never practiced, or someone picking up a random firearm on the rifle range expecting to medal. Such scenarios are obviously ludicrous and yet we sometimes fail to train our children for something much more important and eternal.
Solomon advised parents to train their children in the way they should go and Paul tells them in Ephesians to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Too often, however, I fear that we neglect this crucial aspect of parenting and abdicate this vital responsibility.
We falsely assume that our children will somehow absorb godly character and Biblical values without any intentional effort on their part or ours. Perhaps we believe their Sunday School teachers and babysitters are training them in these ways. While all of these can help, none can fill the role that God assigned to parents in this process.
God appointed fathers and mothers as the primary coaches in their children’s lives. It is the duty and privilege of every parent to work with their children to develop not only their physical, intellectual, and emotional abilities, but their spiritual capacities as well. Failing to train them in this area leaves them like a car with only three wheels.
Expecting our children to resist drugs, chose abstinence and practice godly lifestyles as teenagers when we’ve failed to train them for these choices beforehand is like pushing a non-swimmer into a pool at the Olympics and expecting them to medal. It’s not going to happen. It takes intentional time, effort, prayer, patience, and modeling to develop the spiritual muscles necessary to win not a mere game or contest, but the intense battles life will bring their way.
In fact, such spiritual training is not just vital for youngsters. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul advises us adults to train ourselves to be godly, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
As the Olympics wrap up this weekend, may the dedication, discipline, and preparation of all those athletes remind us of our need to train ourselves and our children.
Blessings, George