One of my all-time favorite movies is Cool Runnings. Although it will never rank in the same category as Gone with the Wind or Casablanca, to me personally it will always be a classic in its own rite...both entertaining and timeless. This 1990's Disney film tells the extremely unlikely true story of a bobsled team from Jamaica making their first appearance in the Winter Olympics. And if you hadn't yet caught on, the title of this blog is a spin-off of the movie's title.
Throughout their journey, the team members and their coach face both foreign and domestic ridicule. No one gives them the slightest chance of escaping the global spotlight unscathed. All seem sure that they will make themselves and their country the laughingstock of the entire world.
Three of the team members had formerly been world class sprinters. In fact all 3 could very well have qualified for the Summer Olympic games in the 100M dash. But in the final qualifying race (that all of them were in) one of the guys (Junior) slips and trips the other two (Derice and Yul). Hence, all seemingly miss out on fulfilling their lifelong dream of becoming Olympians.
That is until Derice gets the idea to start a bobsled team. Now since Jamaica is located in a very tropical climate, the winter sport of bobsledding seems to make no sense for him and his dejected track star buddies. But with the help of a "has been" Olympic bobsledder turned bookie (Irv), they and one other Jamaican (Sanka) begin their quest for the gold.
This adventure is filled with several hilarious scenes and classic one-liners (most if not all of which a few buddies and myself have completely memorized ha). But besides being extremely entertaining, this movie has several redemptive threads running through it. These men learn more than just how to push a bobsled down some ice, much more. Now I don't want to spoil the movie for those of you who haven't yet seen it. However, there is one scene in particular I would like to share specifically about because it has had a very big impact on my life.
The scene takes place on the night before the final race at the Olympics. Derice, the team's leader, is all alone in his hotel room going over the track's turns and mentally preparing for what will most certainly be the biggest day and race of his life. The rest of the team is about to grab something to eat and Irv drops in to ask Derice if he'd like them to grab him something while they are out.
Derice passes on the offer, but before Irv leaves there's just one burning question that cannot escape Derice's mind. Derice must know why Irv cheated and hid weights in the bottom of his sled to make it go faster when he was an Olympic athlete years ago. The bulk of that conversation is underneath the title of this blog at the top of the home page.
I remember hearing those words for the first time when I first saw this movie. I was with my Dad at a movie theater in Temple that he took me to several times growing up. We both loved movies and still do. Even though I was fairly young, I could understand that what was just said was really profound. And I remember looking over at my Dad and him gesturing in some special way, which reinforced to me that I would do well to heed that instruction.
The final lines from that scene, which are not listed under the title, go something like this: Derice: Coach, how will I know if I'm enough? Irv: When you cross that finish line, you'll know!
Every time I watch that scene I get the chills. I'm reminded of the first part of my life, striving after the gold medal of recognition in the eyes of man...striving for worldly popularity and accolades. Defining myself and basing my identity solely on sports performance and statistics. Or on what any and everyone thought of me except God.
I'm eternally grateful that by God's grace I discovered how I could know that I was enough. When you admit that you never were or will be on your own, God can and will transfer Jesus' perfect righteousness to your account. Because Christ took on all of our sin at the cross, we can have His righteousness if we receive it by faith alone and trust in his finished work alone. This is the only way that leads to eternal life, both in this lifetime and the next.
Likewise, I'm so thankful that God loved me enough to dash all my former hopes, dreams, and preconceived notions about success. I was chasing the wrong things, living totally sold out for myself. Sometimes we have to learn lessons the hard way, it's the only way He can get our attention. The only way we can come to the realization that without Him as #1 in our life, nothing else can satisfy or fulfill us.
Irv learned that. He had made winning his whole life, and when you make winning your whole life you have to keep on winning, no matter what. But winning wasn't made to satisfy the deep longings all of us have, being made in the image of God. We were made to enjoy God and magnify Him, not ourselves. It's the only way. We play by His rules or we suffer. And that suffering can be every bit as real when the world doesn't see a thing wrong with you. But God knows and you know.
I'm writing this to encourage all of you to stop and take inventory. What are the gold medals in your life that you are chasing after?
I pray that all of you would confess these things and repent...and that God would indeed love you enough to (as he did with me) crush anything standing in the way of you experiencing a fulfilling, life-giving relationship with Himself.
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