athletes and soldiers

I admire athletes. I admire their focus and their commitment. I admire the way their sport completely dominates their thinking; I admire their passionate joy in their activity. And I admire their physical health and robustness.

I also admire soldiers. They too are focused and committed and physically resilient, with the added interest of being willing to risk much on behalf of the nation.

I once was an athlete and a soldier. Now I’m just an aging has-been – at least, that’s what I feel like when I compare myself to all those younger people still doing what I once did. I’m just another guy with stories to tell.

It’s reassuring, then, to read Psalm 147:10-11:

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

I can’t run a six-minute mile anymore, or stay awake and active for 36 hours, but I can love God and hope in Jesus. I can do that like crazy. It’s nice to think that, on my good days, I might cause God some moments of delight.