Our Stories
Two Seconds
By Aaron Soderlund | posted 02/25/2010
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)
Red gate. Turn. Blue gate. Turn. Red gate. Turn. Blue Gate. Turn. And over and over and over. It’s so simple, yet I can’t stop watching it. Dozens of people doing the same thing back to back. All of them within 2 seconds of each other from best to worst. To us non-Olympians, those two seconds seems like nothing. To these athletes, it’s everything. It’s the difference between winning and losing. It’s the difference between a medal or and not even being shown in the standings. It’s going out on top or four more years of training. Those two seconds are everything. And even though we’d be thrilled to finish within two seconds of last place, on some level we know that those two seconds are everything. And so we watch with anticipation. Red gate. Turn. Blue gate. Turn.
We smile with them when they cross the finish line with their hands in the air. We feel glad for them, even when they do not represent our country. Because we know that two seconds is everything... to them. We know that race, or that performance, is the culmination of a lifetime of practice and training. Of course, we don’t want the Germans to finish with the gold medal over the United States. But we appreciate what this moment is to that athlete.
The world watches. Turn after turn. Jump after jump. Toe-loop after Sow Cow (I’ll be honest, I just wanted to write that word). Nations come together to compete against each other, with a spirit of friendliness and competition. The host country strives to welcome every nation, and introduce themselves to the world. And we all watch for 16 days. We watch because of those two seconds.
It isn’t that these athletes are so amazing that they are born with the same ability as each other. It is that they train and dedicate their lives to improving what happens in those two seconds.
As Christians and as people, we are no different. Our lives are affected in the decisions that we make in two seconds. How we respond to people and how Jesus lives through us to others is often shown in two seconds. When we react so someone in need ... that reaction is often made in two seconds. Just like the Olympians, we train ourselves to be more like Jesus. And when we fall down or miss a gate... we get up mid-hill, finish the race and keep training for our next race. Still loved, forgiven and adored by the God who made us and only wants us to follow him.
A lot can happen in two seconds. We just need to keep training and finish the race.
Aaron can be reached via email here.
