We’ve been through the ringer lately. I mean really. For a people who haven’t experienced real hardship since World War II, we have taken it on the chops the past couple of years. And here it is, 2021, the year when we are supposed to get our lives back, the year when COVID is supposed to be gone, and the year that we take a collective sigh of relief. And with our hopes of returning to some semblance of normalcy, we are looking for bright spots in the landscape that can rejuvenate our spirits. Enter the 2021 summer olympics. Sure, there’s no audience, and the whole event is being threatened by a typhoon, but it’s the Olympics. It’s time for the brightest and best of the world’s athletes to demonstrate their abilities and to celebrate the patriotism of one’s country from which they hail. The Olympics represents the human condition in the best of ways – through displays of hard work, perseverance, mastery, and competition. The Olympics gives us something to get excited about, heroes to root for, and a distraction from the disappointments we may be feeling right now. And one of America’s favorite events? Women’s gymnastics. We love to watch gymnastics because for many people, what these athletes do is unimaginable. How do they seem to fly through the air with ease and actually land on both feet? How are they able to be so flexible and so strong at the same time? We are in awe of their intense focus and superhuman ability. And U.S. gymnasts always make us proud. This year was no different. The gals of the 2021 Olympic women’s gymnastics team fought their way to get to Tokyo – in more ways than one – braving their sport through qualifying competitions and sexual abuse trauma, a worldwide pandemic, and one even had a parent granted a delay to her prison sentence so she could see her daughter compete. We all watched closely as the beautiful team of Americans began competing for gold. And we especially were watching the one named Simone Biles, who many referred to as the GOAT. The greatest gymnast of all time.
But, Simone will not be bringing home any medals this year. She uncharacteristically faltered on a couple routines, and pulled out of the team competition, followed by the individual competition, citing mental health concerns. Her teammates will go on without her. The internet exploded into a frenzy of opinions on whether she was a coward or a hero, and the debates broke out. I remained silent on the issue as I watched a person be torn apart and also glorified by people who had never so much as seen her in person, let alone ever met her. A person who has thoughts and feelings like you and I. A person who clearly needed something in this time that she does not have, because whatever she’s going through was too much for her to continue competing at the world’s finest competition. As I watched and read the comments, my opinion started to form and then the opposite opinion would cross my mind, and I weighed what my ultimate thoughts were on this issue, and I realized that I don’t have an opinion. She is a human athlete who made a choice, be it right or wrong, it really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Simone’s story is a cautionary tale of the danger of being a god – or in her case, a goddess – in this world. You see, we’re all looking for something to hold us up. Before the pandemic, we were up. We were doing pretty well. Sure, there was some dirt on the surface, there was some infighting going on, but for the most part our bellies and our wallets were full. We knew what side we were on, we knew what we thought about things, and we were ok with everything. And then. Our health started to fail. In the form of a tiny virus that threatened sickness and death. Our routines failed. We had to stay home from work and school and find new ways to do normal things. For some of us our relationships failed as we fought over politics, and being home together so long took its toll. Some had jobs or businesses that failed. We couldn’t find toilet paper or paper towels. We couldn’t go out and do what we enjoy. We couldn’t see our loved ones – not at least, without a mask or being six feet away. And suddenly, the things that had kept us up were failing us. For many, the government had failed them. The church failed. The masks failed. Maybe even the vaccine failed. But here! Here is a beautiful gymnast with amazing talents to remind us of all that is good and amazing in this world. The type of athlete that should be on the Wheeties box, and can be a role-model for every child who wants to do great things. She has faced adversity, and she is strong and she is a winner. She represents everything great we want life to be. And we waited on bated breath. We wanted Simone Biles to hold us up. We wanted Simone Biles to tell us everything will be ok.
But she tripped. She almost fell. And then she quit. She dropped out. She left her comrades to finish without her. And this spurned every response, ranging from curiosity to contempt. The response showed me that when we put our hope on human shoulders, they cannot hold us up. When we put our hopes on a person, we crush them under our expectations. Imagine having the eyes of the whole world on you – expecting you to be perfect, to win, to show no weakness. Expecting you to help bring the country out of a dark time by crushing the competition. Nobody can take on the weight of all that by themselves. And when we stand on a weak foundation, we fall. And fall people did. They fell in their shock, their confusion, their anger, and their disgust. Maybe no one sees it the way I do, that Simone was a foundation that many built their hope. But if we’re honest, we’ve been looking to anything to restore our hope, our happiness, our safety. We’ve been looking for any assurance that things will get better.
But here we are, COVID cases are on the rise again, masks are being mandated once again, the economy is struggling, our government is struggling, and Simone Biles, our Olympic hero is no longer a competitor. So where do we put our hope? Who will hold us up? Who will stroke our head and tell us that all is not lost?
The only one who can withstand the weight of our needs and expectations is the only one who has been able to withstand our humanity from the beginning. It’s Jesus Christ. It’s like the song says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”. We have to be so careful of putting our hopes in gods. By that I mean little g gods. Those things and people around us that may seem like something to trust. Something or someone to worship. We must be so careful that our hope is in nothing else than our savior Jesus. Because health will fail. Money will fail. People will fail. And when they fail under the crushing weight we put on them, we too will also fail. But when we put all of our hopes and dreams and fears and disappointments on Jesus, He is willing and able to carry them – and us – without tripping and without falling. And He will never leave us nor forsake us, because He loves us. And in these uncertain times, He wants us to come to Him, not the world, to find peace and assurance. He wants us to trust Him and seek Him and find Him.
So let’s pray for Simone and what she is going through. Let’s repent for the sin of idol worship – whatever that may look like in our lives – and let’s run to the one from whom our hope comes from. Let’s persevere through hard circumstances and remember what Jesus said: “In this world you will have troubles, but take heart for I have overcome the world”. (John 16:33b)
**Sidenote: Mental health is a serious issue, and a rising epidemic in our country. Getting help is important. If you or someone you know has had thoughts of hurting themselves or someone else, please get help. You are wanted and needed in this world. We need to be stronger mentally so we can handle what life sends our way. As Bible believing Christians, when we stand on the truth, we do not need to fear, and the pressures of this world melt away because the only one we need to please is God, and He loves us already and gives us everything we need to please Him. Look for Jesus, dear friends. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2