I love the Olympics. Our family watched most of the evening coverage for the first week and a half. Once the swimmer scandal took center stage, though, we got tired of hearing about the mess over and over again. In fact, we literally turned off the TV several evenings because it seemed the focus was too much on Ryan Lochte, and he wasn’t even in the pool! It’s a sad commentary about us when the national news coverage leads with a story about a guy who drank too much when floods, wildfires, and election season should have our attention.

I have gone through the same process as most people with the Ryan Lochte incident. At first, I was disgusted that the city of Rio was not a safer place (wrong!). Then, I was furious that the police and government were seeking to make an example of our athletes (still wrong!). And, as the truth emerged, I became judgmental and self-righteous (even more wrong!). Now that I am over myself and over this whole ordeal, I just feel sorry for Lochte. His life will never be the same and at this point it’s not even his fault any longer. 

I imagine Ryan Lochte feels enough guilt and regret on his own and doesn’t need our help. He has lost millions in endorsements. He betrayed his closest friends. He bears an overwhelming embarrassment that will shadow him for years. Today’s news quotes him saying that his, “life is crumbling.” It seems clear that Lochte has learned from the situation. 

Let’s all take a step back and learn something...

The obvious lesson is that we shouldn’t lie. However, I’d suggest another lesson. What did we learn in our personal response to the matter? Were we ready to pick up a stone and join the group of accusers?  This story reminds me of the adulterous woman we find in John Chapter 8. The teachers of the law had brought this woman before a group in the temple, preparing to stone her. Jesus says the famous line, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”   

Enough stones have already been thrown at Lochte and the weight of my sin precludes me from joining in the “fun”. I know he “officially” apologized, but has Lochte been afforded a chance to truly repent? I think our society is so quick to scandalize and condemn that it seems the stones are flying before the sinner even has a chance to hear us say, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11) If anything as Christians, we are called to forgive and love not to condemn. We should not delight in watching others fall.  Rather, we should delight in praying and hoping for a path to redemption. I am already looking forward to seeing Lochte compete in the next Olympics.  

Athletes prepare for years to compete in their sport at the Olympic games. They spend every moment of every day training, practicing and competing to be good enough to get to the Olympics and even more than that, good enough to win a medal. 

I enjoy the Olympics. I love the way the Olympic games bring our world together for the beauty of the sport. As I watch the games I can’t help but think about the dedication, passion and work that each athlete puts in to get this point. To share one of their greatest gifts and perform their passion for basketball, fencing, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics, running or swimming before the whole world. All eyes are on them. 

Each year stories of the Olympic athletes are told and what we discover about these Olympians is their ordinary and extraordinary journeys that took them to this place at the games. We have met refugees who left their home behind for safety, foster children who bet the odds, first time religious, racial and ethnic minorities excelling in their events to make history. Their stories remind us what the world is supposed to be like, where race, religion, nationality or economic status don’t hold you back from being the person God created you to be. 

In the midst of terrorist attacks, hate, violence and division it is really beautiful that we can treat each other with respect, appreciation, and a standing ovation because they could go faster, jump higher, throw further, and work together to achieve a place of honor. 

But the story that touched me the most is found on the women’s 5,000-meter race yesterday. The buzzer announces the evenly paced steps of runners as they began to go around the track; that is until New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin and US Abbey D’Agostino tripped over each other and their hopes of winning a medal were gone. 

But their story isn’t about their fall, it is about what happened next. Hamblin stood up and turned to D’Agostino and said, “Get up, we have to finish this.” Together they hobbled across finish line in last place. And then the two women embrace before both getting medical attention.

Although most of us don’t find ourselves at the Olympic games racing to be a gold medalist, we all compete in our own type of Olympic games for gold medals in business, education, parenting, medicine, success, and even status. It is hard to fall, sometimes it is even harder to finish after we fall. Hobbling across the finish line after everyone else has long since finished. 

Sometimes we don’t make the right business choice, or we take a long range education plan, make mistakes in parenting, are not the best and don’t find ourselves on a podium receiving any accolades for the hard work and time we have put in. 

But in God’s eyes, it doesn’t matter if we medal; what matters is how we run the race. God’s race invites us to help each other along the way, encourage our fellow “teammates,” listen, learn and eventually cross the finish line—because in God’s eyes we are all gold medalists.

Blessings on your race today.