Olympic fever!

It's impossible to avoid the excitement that exists around the various venues that are holding Olympic competitions. And I confess to being as emotionally involved as anyone!! Tears and laughter, highs and lows, stunning victories and shattering defeats. Wonderful stuff!

And to those who grudge the money spent on the Olympics - I'd rather spend it encouraging the younger generation of all the nations to compete safely and with mutual respect, rather than on weapons we put in the hands of these same young people to kill each other in wars.

When we hear Olympic Gold medallists talking about their journey, we often hear of setbacks and sacrifices, of stumbles and seasons of self-doubt and even giving up for a while. Yet, on the podium, not of that matters. What matters is achievement - and you can see that words cannot convey the emotion of achieving a life-time goal. Fantastic stuff!!

Being a Christian should be the same - both Jesus and Paul agree about this. Don't count the cost, says Jesus, just go for it - it's worthwhile. The journey of faith is not disimilar to that of the medallist. Persevere, says Paul. Don't give up!

Meeting Jesus at the end of  your life will be better than getting a Gold Medal - you'll get a crown, even!! So keep going, Christian, keep the faith. Struggle with doubts and fears, but don't give up!!