Getting Gold and Being Gold.

Whether you are athletic or not, you gotta love the Olympics! 

The whole world coming together on one stage- competing with their best athletes to win GOLD!  Though we see the nation that is being represented, we also see individuals who have given their time and talent training to be the best.  They now are on a global stage, representing….US.

I can only imagine the things that have been sacrificed in order to share this stage.  Gatherings they didn’t go to, parties they missed, relationships that there was not enough time for and personal treats that had to be suspended during training.  Injuries and falls, scrapes and bruises, sweat and tears.  It takes a lot to be an Olympic athlete,  a lot more than it takes to be a spectator.

I was thinking about the Gold and many of our American atheletes and how they go under the microscope.  This week, I was reminded of one of my favorite scriptures. ( I have quite a few)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.           

2 Corinthians 4:7

As a child, I remember taking long baths.  We would make the water with ‘Mr. Bubbles’ bubble bath and play until our hands and feet were wrinkled.  After a while, we paid a bit more attention to actually washing and something would happen around our ankles and sometimes on our arms.  We could rub the skin and it looked like dirt would come off.  We would rub harder and more would come off.  “My skin is peeling!” I thought, but it was just dirt. 

Dirt that was not there due to what I did that day, but dirt that was there due to who I was.

 

 

 

We are all made up of dirt, which is why when we die the preacher says “Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust,” We return to what we were- Dirt.  

 

Every color of dirt is represented by every color of mankind.

Red, yellow, black, brown and white!  We are all precious in His sight!
 

GETTING GOLD

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels...

Here we are, people or vessels made of dirt with something great inside us.  Something God put in every one of us is the ability to GET GOLD.

To the average person it is seen in the gifts and talents we have.  All of us have a purpose, and when we work at it, we are at our best.   So this earthen (dirt) vessel is holding treasure. (GOLD)   The way we get gold is by the work we do while in this body.  The time of honing our skills, working and being a blessing to others with the talent or gift that we have.  It is the person who works as a teacher in Middle school, who takes his/her job seriously because they are training a new generation.  The person at a checkout line, who knows they are working on behalf of another, and give it their all in customer service, or the CEO who has an idea that won’t just make him money, but help others and cause his workers to benefit as well.  Who you are and what you do give you an  opportunity to GET GOLD every day, and just like our athletes, it costs us.  It costs time, training, practice and getting over petty stuff … like whether or not people like your hair.

All of us can GET GOLD, maybe not at the Olympics, but in life.

BEING GOLD

Getting Gold is hard, it takes a lot out of us, but we can all do that. 

But being GOLD is the challenge. 

It is sad that while we have athletes clear across the world, who have sacrificed their way of living to get gold and represent us, we are petty enough to ridicule them. 

 

 

Gabby Douglas for one has had her share as a young woman of hearing the criticisms of people who are either sitting comfortably on their couch, or hiding behind their keyboard as they criticize what she wears, her hair or how she stands during the national anthem.  Honestly, I am old school.  I always place my hand over my heart, but I feel odd doing it because I have noticed that in schools and in general assemblies, they don’t do that anymore.  You may say, “But she is an American Athlete representing US.”  True, but every day you are an American representing us too.  The big difference is we have not yet made it to a global stage where people can post their opinions about all the things we do.  I for one, am glad  about that!  There is enough to remember to do on my small stage in life.  I want to be my best, without trying to please everyone, because someone will always be disappointed.

How we live and what we do says whether or not we will GET gold.  But who you are says whether or not you ARE gold.

The thing about Gold is this: 

• It holds it's value.  Whether it goes through heat, it is still GOLD.
• If it sits in cold heartless environments, it is still GOLD.
• It can be pushed in the dirt and talked about, it is still GOLD.
• It can be crushed into powder, but it is still GOLD.
• The things you say and do to it does not take it’s value away, it is still GOLD.

Part two of the same scripture reads like this:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.    We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;    persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--  

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

 

When you ARE gold, you can make it through the fire.  You can deal with the hard hits that come with your reaching for gold.  You might get  depressed but not pushed off your course.  Being Gold comes from having God in you. Being gold helps you to root for someone else as they try to get gold while encouraging them so they too can be gold.

 

This is what our world needs today.  Too many kids have taken their own lives due to bullying and cyberbullying. And the really sad thing is that this bullying often comes from people who have not earned gold nor are they striving to BE gold! 

GOLD recognizes GOLD.

 

If you see someone who is working to get gold, be there to encourage them.  Be there when they deal with the critical minds and encourage them to not just get the gold, but also to be gold.  Be the person that can say encouraging things to others on their journey.  What you say about others, says more  about YOU than it does them. 

I say to Gabby Douglas and all our athletes that work hard to represent us, as well as everyday kids who dare to be different from their peers by striving to be better- GO FORWARD!  If you want to make an impact, don’t just get gold, BE GOLD.   

For all of us, let's do our best; represent our family, our community and our God well.  But most of all remember, yes… we may be tried in the fire, but we will always come out as PURE GOLD.