Inspiration and Lessons from the Olympics

Inspiration and Lessons from the Olympics Fr Luke A Veronis “I credit all I do to God,” stated Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, after breaking her own world record with a new record in the 400 meter hurdles. “He’s given me a gift and a drive… I have a platform and I want to use whatever I have to glorify Him… Whenever I step on the track, I pray “Let me be a vessel of God.” Whatever the result is, how I conduct myself, how I carry myself, not just how I perform, I have freedom in knowing that regardless of what happens He will get the praise… Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal.” What a beautiful and powerful statement from an Olympian champion and gold medalist and what a beautiful witness of faith she offers to her Lord. She realizes she has been given special gifts from God. She knows that she has maximized those gifts throughout her life and training. And she understands that she has been given an incredible platform in the Olympics to witness her faith in Jesus Christ. Did any of you see what Novak Djokavic did after he won the gold medal? Here is the GOAT of tennis – the greatest of all time having won more grand slams than any other person in the history of tennis – yet winning his first Olympic gold medal. After he won, he fell on his knees with his face on the ground, lifted up his head and made a very visible sign of the cross. Whenever he wins he points up to the sky thanking God. And back in 2011 after he received the order of St. Sava from the hands of Patriarch Irenaeus, the highest distinction in the Serbian Orthodox Church, Djokavic declared, "This is the most important title of my life, because before being an athlete, I am an Orthodox Christian.” Known as a philanthropist, he said he will donate all his Olympic prize money to humanitarian causes. Extreme talent. Unbelievable sacrifice and effort. A platform on which others see you. And then offering a witness of faith for the glory of God. Olympic athletes have been given incredible natural gifts from God. Those who make the Olympics have sacrificed and worked unbelievably hard to develop their natural gifts. These athletes have a team of family and coaches supporting and surrounding them, making it possible for them to fulfill their God-given potential and to become Olympians. Of course, there may be other athletes with just as much athletic natural talent, and some with even more, yet they don’t all make the Olympics. Such natural talent, extreme effort and unbelievable hard work obviously make these greatest of athletes very proud. They are Olympians, the most amazing athletes in the world, on the biggest stage of the world, and their achievements can understandably puff up one’s ego, making them proud and full of themselves. We see some Olympians bragging about how great they are, staring down their opponents in the midst of their competition to shame them and then allowing their ego to display their arrogance and pride. The contrast is quite stark – praising oneself or praising the One who gives us our gifts; lifting up ourselves or honoring the One who gives us our health, our opportunities, our support, our fellowship, and our life itself. Saint John of Kronstadt, the wonderworking Russian saint who during his lifetime celebrated daily liturgy to thousands of people, and has such a cult following that some misguided faithful tried to even turn him into a god. Yet, Saint John always downplayed his fame and popularity, clearly stated, “I myself am nothing. All that is good in me is accomplished by the grace of God.” Humility is one of the greatest virtues, without which we cannot journey in our relationship with God and without which we can ever hope to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet, it is a missing virtue in much of our society. We take such pride in our achievements, whether in the Olympics or in whatever sphere of life we may achieve success. Our ego then blinds us to who we truly are, and we turn our achievements into self-made accomplishments instead of understanding that all we have is God’s gift to us. When we develop such God-given gifts to flourish and bloom, we need to remember to give all praise to Him. He is the Source and Giver of all blessings. For few, their platform may be the Olympics; for us, our platform may have a much smaller sphere of influence. Yet, God will judge each according to what He has given us. And in whatever size our platform may be, the question is whether we acknowledge that all we have is a gift from God, and honor Him with whatever we do with the gifts He gives us. This is the root of true humility. Understanding who God is and who we are. Whatever worldly greatness we may achieve, we need to understand who is at the root of this greatness, and how any platform of greatness we may stand is a platform to honor and glorify the Lord Almighty. Remember our Lord’s words, “To whom much is given, much is required.” If we accomplish anything, all glory and honor go to God. In our Holy Tradition, all self-assertion and self-praise is considered a rebellion against God. The Lord Almighty sees and knows all. When we accomplish or achieve anything great, He sees. And He knows also how we respond to our actions. Self-praise is a sin against God. Self-assertion among others is the consequence of pride. There is a beautiful story in the life of St. Anthony the Great, who shared a vision he beheld seeing all the deceptive snares of the evil one spread out over the whole earth. When he looked upon them, he asked the Lord, "Who is able to pass safely through such a perilous world as this?" Then he heard a voice from High answering him, "The humble person alone can pass safely through these trials, O Anthony. In no way can the proud do so." “I credit all I do to God,” stated Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.“ I have a platform and I want to use whatever I have to glorify Him. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal.”