Ethan Maple is lead pastor of Mt. Comfort Church.
I love watching the Olympics; from gymnastics to field hockey, judo to basketball, swimming to skateboarding … there’s just something about the world’s best athletes competing for the gold. When we’re home, our TV is always tuned in, if only just playing in the background.
I also enjoy listening to the stories of these athletes — the lives they’ve lived, the obstacles they’ve navigated, the trials they’ve overcome to reach the peak of performance. To me, the Olympics is not just the snapshot of a podium and a national anthem played; it’s the journey one takes, which culminates in that triumphant moment.
Gold represents victory, but the stories of the athletes show it is so much more than that. These athletes, with a certain level of natural talent, have had to hone their skill through practice and competition. Dedicating themselves to their craft, they’ve made the choice to sacrifice, pick themselves up amid failures, heal through injuries, endure life’s circumstances, and ultimately found themselves atop the podium. A journey that reminds me of our faith.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.
— 1 Peter 1:7
For centuries upon centuries, gold has been the standard bearer of precious metals. It makes sense that it is used to represent the best in sports. Scripture uses gold to represent status and importance; we see it used in the holiest of places like the Tabernacle and Temple.
And as the above verse shows, as valuable as gold is, our faith is more so. So, just to be clear, God instructs His people to use gold in the place in which He Himself will dwell, but your genuine faith is even more precious to Him than that.
However, for gold to be refined into its purest form, it must go through the fire. Our faith must also endure fire for it to be genuine. Scripture reminds us that having faith during the good moments of life is easy, but the test is to remain faithful when life gets hard. And just like any Olympian, the test helps us build endurance and confidence for the next hard thing we encounter. Genuine faith must be tested faith; it’s a process that helps us grow and cling tighter to Christ.
There is nothing more beautiful or precious to God than genuine faith. Genuine faith must be proved through our endurance, and our endurance comes from being disciplined followers of Christ. Those disciplines are the gathering with other Christians, the growing in faith through Scripture, the giving of yourself for God’s Kingdom, and the going into the world as a representative of the Gospel.
If you are struggling today, lean into the power of the Holy Spirit and know that God sees you. If you aren’t struggling today, know that you will be at some point and prepare yourself to endure. While the difficulties of today capture our attention, our relationship with Jesus invites us to have hope in a triumphant tomorrow.
Ethan Maple is lead pastor of Mt. Comfort Church. This weekly column is written by local clergy members.
