Olympic Flame and Chariots of Fire

Only days after the conclusion of the Tour de France, viewers across the world were treated Friday night to the ceremonial start of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. To most of us, it signaled the beginning of a two-week opportunity to see the finest athletes in action, representing their native countries and competing in a variety of sports.

The common thread to all of these athletic events is the striving for excellence and the years of practice and sacrifice required by the participants to achieve their goals. For the athletes themselves, success is based on strength, agility, endurance, accuracy, and flexibility, with a regimen of strict diet and specific physical training.

But I would suggest that for most Olympic athletes (and indeed, for many of us non-Olympians), there’s a mental factor – some might even call it a spiritual factor – that’s just as important, if not the most important ingredient for success, in whatever we do.

I know a professional training and fitness coach who watched every stage of the recent Tour de France (won for the first time by a British cyclist named Bradley Wiggins) and was struck by the courage and strength and raw talent of the riders and their teams, but also by the dignity and honor expressed by the riders in that event. He expects the London Olympics to produce more of the same.

He says that for athletes at the highest level of achievement, there’s a mental focus on exceeding limitations of the body, on expressing man’s higher nature, his or her spontaneity and perfection. Some use a process called “visualization.” Others say it’s all about mentally “letting go” of limitations or “expecting” better results.

One of our daughters – married and with two teenage children – took up the triathlon five years ago as a way of staying fit and giving her a personal challenge beyond her family responsibilities. She recognizes a divine source for health and happiness, and she often uses Bible passages for inspiration and encouragement.

Article Author: Peter Van Vleck

I'm a life-long Christian Scientist who is fascinated by the impact of spirituality on all aspects of our lives, especially health and wellness.

Retired from an eclectic career that included Navy pilot during the Vietnam conflict, small …

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