We didn't miss a thing! For two weeks our television was stuck on one Canadian channel that was broadcasting the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi. I don't know what it is about the Olympics, but there is something about it the makes you stand up straight, square your shoulders back and stand up and sing ‘O Canada’ with all the energy you can muster.
The Olympics make us proud that we are Canadians. In our house, we sat on the edge of our seats whenever a Canadian athlete took to the slopes or rode the bobsled down the track or speed skated around the track. We watched and we cheered. But what I think was really noticeable was how many people from other countries were there cheering their own athletes. And besides us Canadians, the country that cheered on their athletes with great enthusiasm was Russia.
There was something about the Olympics that creates an atmosphere that brought us together and makes us proud of the country we call home. Everyone cheered the athletes that represented us so well. But it didn’t stop with the Olympics. The news hour on TV ran stories of reporters waiting with excited fans for athletes to come through the doors at the Calgary Airport. With excitement, family, friends and everyday on-lookers cheered as each athlete came in sight.
As patriotic as I am when it comes to the Olympics, I had a thought that came across my mind a few times, and that thought was... if Jesus came to town, if we saw the exciting things He does in people’s lives, would we cheer for Him with the same enthusiasm that we showed when it comes to Olympic athletes?
The Bible says that when people spotted Jesus, they would rush to Him, crowds followed Him everywhere. Just before He went to the cross, the crowd threw Jesus a parade and threw palm branches on His path into Jerusalem. The unfortunate thing is that today, many people cheer for lesser things.
Commercials cheer people on with an excitement that says that says you have to have a beer in your hands. But such lesser things don’t satisfy us deep down. It’s only as we seek after Jesus that we truly become the person we were designed to be. For when we see Jesus we get a picture of who we are intended to be like. And so, He offers us an invitation.
In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says... “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.” Isn't it interesting that Jesus leaves the choice up to us? Some things are not us to us, but we can choose to accept the invitation to know Jesus. He invites to come to Him with all the things that burden us... He offers you heaven... He offers peace, the power of God, His counsel, forgiveness and His love. Jesus offer us these things because more than anything else, you matter to Him the most.
The Winter Olympics were great! I wish they went on for a whole month because the athletes make me proud to be a Canadian. But as good as the Olympics are, they come to an end, the excitement eases and we settle back into our normal lives. But when we open our lives to what Jesus offers, it should excite us like nothing else can to seek Him out!
This column is submitted by Tri-Community Baptist Church in Beiseker.
