Live Strong!

This week there's yet another story of an "American hero" and tales of lies, cheating, betrayal, lawsuits, questions, confessions, speculations, and revelations which blankets the news.  The tangled web of ego and deception.   Money and media.   Power and influence.  A public image and hidden reality.  An almost pathological drive to win - no matter the cost.

This is not a, "Let's bash Lance Armstrong," reflection. This is a "Let's take a look at ourselves and our world," reflection. We love to win and we love winners. We love folks who "beat the odds". We love "super humans". We don't remember who came in 2nd a.k.a. the "also-rans". We all too often celebrate the widely held, yet false and destructive competitive battle cry, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

Unfortunately, far too many of us view the world with a very narrow understanding of what winning really is. Winning comes in many shapes and sizes. True "winning" isn't about crossing the finish line first or the person with the most trophies. Winning is about character and who we are at our core. It's about the values we hold dear, the tenacity of our spirit, and the true desires of our hearts.

Lance Armstrong, through his cancer foundation, made famous the words, "Live Strong." These words have inspired millions of people to keep striving, working, believing, and living to do something that perhaps they thought was impossible. And that's good!  But...for what are we striving, working, believing, and "living strong"? What are we trying to win? How do we define what winning is?

I challenge us to "Live Strong" - indeed. But, let us take a careful and soulful look at what we are "living strong" for and what we believe it is to "win". For we are to strive not for a trophy of gold, nor for ego and honors, but rather we are to "live strong" and "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

Let us "Live Strong" for the faith, for love, for hope, for grace. Let us "Live Strong" for Christ and for the Kingdom.

Peace,

Paul+