Humor

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I have never been remotely athletic. And it is evident by the way that I'm unable to walk around my own house without damaging myself in some way, that I have no business trying to do things that hurt even professional athletes. Mostly, I find televised sports boring enough to make me actually want to do housework. So it's surprising that I enjoy watching Olympics.

One day, I was watching, of all things, the "shot put" competition. I watched those solid athletes spinning in tight little circles (very much like myself trying to avoid wasps while lounging on my deck, not doing housework). Anyway, these shotputters are nearly exploding with concentration, and then hurling that very heavy ball away with all their might, hoping to win the prize.

Apparently, there was nothing else in my mind at that moment, because the thought popped into my head -- what if the athlete never let go of that ball? What if he just kept spinning in circles, holding his breath, straining his muscles? At the very least, he'd get dizzy and fall over. Or pass out and fall over. Or get muscle cramps and fall over. On so many levels, holding onto that ball is unhealthy and even painful. And there are no prizes for failure to launch the ball.

Which, in a way, is kinda like holding onto anxieties in my life. Jesus told me not to be anxious about my life, and Peter says I'm to cast all my anxiety on God. So maybe I'm to handle my daily struggles like the shotputter -- hurl my problems toward God with great intensity and concentration. I don't want to hold onto anxiety, because I don't want to "fall over." God doesn't give crowns for that. Like Paul, I want to press on toward the goal for the prize.

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