Yes, this is true! When th...
Articles Community blogs Striving for the Prize! | Striving for the Prize! |
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| Written by Whytney Kissoon | ||||||||||
| Thursday, 21 August 2008 | ||||||||||
 Usain Bolt - World's Fastest Man by Bonita Jamaica. BEIJING - AUGUST 20: Usain Bolt of Jamaica competes on his way to breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Every athlete that has won an Olympic gold medal in this, the 29th Olympiad, 26th Olympic Games in Beijing, China, can be seen on the top level of the medal platform with their gold medal around their neck, bouquet in hand, and their national flag in ascending glory, as their country’s National Anthem resonates throughout the stadium. I can only try to fathom what these athletes must be feeling. Especially, knowing that all their families, friends and well-wishers share in that moment of glory. What a feeling Ever since the Olympic Games began, there has been speculation about the upcoming performance of the Jamaican team being sent off to Beijing, China. However, despite all that has been said, our Athletes knew what they had to do. And they have been delivering! On the 12th day of the Beijing Olympics, Jamaica celebrated as Usain 'Lightening' Bolt completed his double gold performance in the men’s 200m run, clocking 19.30 seconds in world record time and Melaine Walker, winning gold and setting an Olympic record in the women’s 400m hurdles run, clocking 52.64 seconds: Jamaicans worldwide thanked God, sang, danced, shouted, jumped, partied in true Jamaican style. Some minutes after the race, my home phone began ringing. I answered quite 'keyed up'. "Hello good morning" "Oh hello, I was trying to reach my brother, apparently I have the wrong number, but I need to speak to someone from Jamaica", a very excited voice responded. "Ok, no problem", I managed to say, as she continued. "All the Jamaicans here are so excited, thank God, we are moving forward. We want to come home! Despite the crime, I’m so happy to be Jamaican right now. I can just imagine the excitement down there; I’m coming home next week." And that pretty much concluded our conversation. I never got a chance to get her name, or where she was calling from, but this woman wanted to share her joy and it reminded me of something. As Christians, when we first get saved, it’s a feeling like that. We want everyone to know, we want them to feel our joy! However, after some time in the race and having to encounter “hurdles”, we sometimes stumble and forget the reason why we had joined the race. We forget the prize to be had at the end, the immortal life we shall receive in heaven with Christ and all other believers. But God has a way of revealing himself to us. For all the races we’ve won so far, the athletes begin on their knees. Let us follow suite, in everything we do, we give God thanks and praise.
To all our athletes who made
it to the 26th Olympic Games, I’ll be happily standing
with you all, as our National Anthem is being played:
Eternal Father, Bless our Land,
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Go Jamaica! And go, Kissoon! 
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