Janet and I are fully engaged in watching the olympics these days. We both like sports very much, and we follow every major sport. Therefore, olympic games are like an extra infusion of goodies for us to enjoy and devour.

But here is what I noticed about the athletes as they are interviewed after their wins. Majority of them believe it was their own effort and hard work that got them the win. They would thank their parents, their coaches, and teammates who helped them achieve what they did. But what about what they were born with? Or the circumstances that made them discover their talent in the first place? Who gets the credit for those?

And here’s another thing I noticed. I have never heard an athlete give thanks to God AFTER they lost.

Michael Phelps won 6 medals (4 gold, 2 silver) at London Olympics in 2012 with almost no training. When asked how he was able to do it, he said, “On pure talent.” And he is right. And who gave him the talent? Who made his body so that his body would be perfect for swimming? Now, you may say, “But, he still had to learn to swim and work hard at it to get where he is.” And you are right. But consider this: What made him want to work hard in the first place? Wasn’t it that when he tried it a few times in the beginning, he was rather good at it? And he naturally got praised for it by those around him. And this made him WANT TO keep trying? So, even the circumstances by which made him work hard did not come from him. It all came from God.

It is a myth that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. “Dream big, aim high, work hard and you can do anything!” is simply not true. There are countless people who dreamt of being an NBA basketball player, and worked hard, and they never made it.

What am I saying then? Should we just drop everything and stop trying? No. But to acknowledge God in all our ways…. !

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight.” Prov. 3:5-6

This means acknowledging Him when we win as well as when we lose! What if we heard an athlete say after a crushing defeat, “I want to thank Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord for giving me the opportunity to compete at this level. I want to thank Him for the talent He gave me, the drive to work hard, and this platform to tell everyone how good He is! I GET TO do what I love to do and win or lose, it’s a privilege!”

Do we only acknowledge Him and thank Him when things are going good?

What if we acknowledged His goodness when things are not going our way?

What if we praised Him when we are down?

What if we gave thanks to Him when we didn’t get what we want (because we trust that it was good for us not to have it)?

Wouldn’t that be a greater testimony of God? Anyone can praise God when things are going their way…

P