More than Gold

Flags of all the countries in front of the Olympic Village

I am here in Vancouver under the banner of "More Than Gold". Many people wonder what More Than Gold is all about, so I thought I would give a little bit of an explanation.

When most people think of the Olympics they think of winning a gold medal. Gold medals are the ultimate prize for a competitor. Only one person can win gold. That means every other person needs to be able to focus on something bigger than winning the gold.

For that one person who wins gold, it is exciting. It is life changing, but it still will not be satisfying enough. There has to be something more, something more sustaining, something more than gold.

That something that is More Than Gold is a relationship with Christ. We are here to help people see that there is something so much more important than fame, winning and popularity. There is so much more to this life. Ultimately life is most well lived when a person is in relationship with Christ.

I shared with you in the previous blog about Cindy Klassen. Cindy gets it, she understands that medals are one thing, but living a life for Christ is of far more importance. That is why when she is in public she is not wanting to focus on the medals she is focused on God.

Compare that with the bronze medal winner for the US in mens snow boarding. He decided to celebrate his medal by having a big party in his honor where the focus was on him. He felt he was bigger than the Olympics and was willing to compromise what the Olympic committee had asked, which was to honor the Olympics with proper behavior. He chose to degrade himself and others with inappropriate pictures and actions. He was asked to leave the Olympics immediately.

More Than Gold ultimately is focused on God and not on ourselves. Maybe we could apply the same principles in our own lives. What is it that is most important to us. Is it winning? Is it being most popular? Is it being patted on the back all the time? What does a gold medal look like to you?

I hope for you and I, that the greatest reward we will ever receive will not be a medal. I hope you and I will hear these words from Jesus,"Well done good and faithful servant, you may enter the Kingdom of God."

Above all else, a life well lived in relationship with Christ is More Than Gold.