Olympic Glory
I did it again last night. It was at least the ninth time. Before I was even ten, I was transfixed by the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. And my fascination has only become more and more refined over the years.
Last night, I watched the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics.
There is something about the smiles on the faces of those athletes. They come from all kinds of places. Rich countries. Poor countries. Democratic countries. Dictatorships. Communist countries. War-torn countries.
They all smile.
The whole globe is groaning from war, famine, destruction, poverty. But for just a few days, these men and women get to go to a place where they simply get to play.
So they smile.
Some of them have played in NBA Championships and World Cups. They've been in places like the olympic stadium before. But they've never experienced anything like this.
They can't help it. They smile.
Some of them are from third world countries where probably grew up in (and may return to) poverty. When they get back, those people will carry stories that will be told and re-told for generations to come.
They smile, too.
I used to think it was kind of neat, but way too ideal. The world could never really be like this for more than a few days, could it? People from every corner of the globe, assembled together for a single purpose? All together in one place: American and Iraqi, Jew and Arab, British and French. Standing together. Singing. Dancing. Talking.
Smiling.
I used to think it was too good to be true. But now I know the truth: Someday, it will be like this. No, it will be better:
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
(Rev. 7:9-10)
Guess what?
Last night, I smiled, too.
Last night, I watched the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics.
There is something about the smiles on the faces of those athletes. They come from all kinds of places. Rich countries. Poor countries. Democratic countries. Dictatorships. Communist countries. War-torn countries.
They all smile.
The whole globe is groaning from war, famine, destruction, poverty. But for just a few days, these men and women get to go to a place where they simply get to play.
So they smile.
Some of them have played in NBA Championships and World Cups. They've been in places like the olympic stadium before. But they've never experienced anything like this.
They can't help it. They smile.
Some of them are from third world countries where probably grew up in (and may return to) poverty. When they get back, those people will carry stories that will be told and re-told for generations to come.
They smile, too.
I used to think it was kind of neat, but way too ideal. The world could never really be like this for more than a few days, could it? People from every corner of the globe, assembled together for a single purpose? All together in one place: American and Iraqi, Jew and Arab, British and French. Standing together. Singing. Dancing. Talking.
Smiling.
I used to think it was too good to be true. But now I know the truth: Someday, it will be like this. No, it will be better:
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
(Rev. 7:9-10)
Guess what?
Last night, I smiled, too.
posted by Matt at Saturday, August 14, 2004
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