I will be darting in and out of Romans 12 over the next few weeks, but in the meantime … I love sports, all kinds of sports, which is odd because my mother hated sports and my dad was simply a baseball fan.
The 2026 Winter Olympics recently concluded. I watched much of it, and much of it left me fuming.
I love these young athletes who have trained and worked hard and dreamed about competing in an international event that only happens every four years. They come in filled with hope. Sometimes their hopes are realized and sometimes they are dashed.
When they don’t live up to the expectations others have placed on their shoulders, they are often hounded by reporters and the keyboard courageous. That happened often during these past winter games. (I wish these athletes would say to these rude and obnoxious people “Here’s my (skates, skis, snowboard, whatever), show me how it’s done.”
When did we become such unkind people, so lacking in compassion and good manners? Too often I am ashamed of our culture’s behavior. I pray for God’s forgiveness for this nation.
Let those who name the Name of Christ embrace a far different set of standards.
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” [Colossians 3:12 NLT]
Amen