"Queen Yu-Na" 2010 Olympic gold medalist figure skater representing South Korea, (top left), Medal Ceremony with top three women medal winners (top right). Silver medalist, Mao Asada of Japan (pictured buttom left), and Bronze medalist Joannia Rochette of Canada.
I did not mean to, but last night I stayed up to midnight to watch the Ladies Figure Skating competition. It has a historic event for several reasons. All of the ladies who competed did an excellent job, but it was the last hour or so of the event when the medal contenders skated that was the most exciting.
The young ladies ranged in age from 16 - 19 and represented the United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea. The favorite to win the gold medal was Kim Ya-Na from South Korea. Korea has only had one athlete when a medal in the Winter Olympics, so this opportunity for an Olympic gold medal took on a special significance to people of that country. Kim is referred to as "Queen Yu-Na" in South Korea and is an institution. Since she is such an outstanding and award winning athlete she markets all kinds of products in South Korea and even has her own clothing line.
Kim left South Korea and trains in Canada and that has made her an Olympic gold medalist. She had to leave her home and go where she could be trained by the best. There was an enormous amount of pressure on Kim to perform well. Even at her young age she knows how you can be a star in the public eye's on moment, and a villain the next. It has been reported that Kim even received death threats if she did not win the gold medal. How did a 19 year old girl become the hope of her nation? I have to admit, that I do not know that much about South Korea, but I will speculate that the people of that country had the great desire to be number 1 in the world at something. All countries do.
Kim has been preparing for the Olympics her entire life. She had to stay calm and confident while skating. She knew the eyes of the world were on her, and most importantly the judges where watching her every move. One tiny mistake, points would be deducted from her score and all her sacrafice, and years of hard work could of all been for nothing. It seemed to me the only option Kim had was to win the gold, nothing less would do.
Kim gave and performed her best and has set new world records in her sport. She also out performed rival Mao Asada from Japan. Historically there as been animosity between the two countries, but last night's historic event, and the grace in which the two athletes responded and how each of their respected country's responded illustrated that relations can improve.
Joannie Rochette was in her home country as a competitor which was a blessing for her because her mother suffered a massive heart attack and died two days before the figure skating competion started. Joannie showed an incredible amount of strength and courage and her fellow countrymen and women where there to support her through a very unexpected difficult time.
If these three young ladies inspire hope, grace, strength, and perseverance, how much more does our loving savior Jesus Christ inspire Christians? Jesus left heaven and came to Earth as a human being to live among us. He learned everything he could from those in his life who taught him. When his ministry began, he spoke with great wisdom and compassion, and when necessary he rebuked those who were wrong. He was a nobody, from a small poor village that nobody cared about. Once he became popular among the people, the leaders of the Jewish people began to "judge" him harshly. He knew his purpose and he knew he would be on the cross, and he knew he would have the sins of the whole world on him. Now, that is pressure, the salvation of humanity was on him. He was our only hope, nothing less than perfection would do.
We are once again about to celebrate Easter and as we do, it is a good time to read, or read again the four gospels and focus on the teachings of Jesus and the events leading up to his death and his resurrection. We have to have hope. We cannot give up just because what we face is difficult. One thing I saw while watching the Ladies Figure Skating competition was seeing young ladies fall during their performances. They got back up and skated to the best of their abilities. They may not have won a medal, but they are still at the top of their sport and the best from their respective countries. Winning an Olympic medal is one of the greatest things a person can achieve, but being a loving witness of Jesus Christ and winning souls to the kingdom of God is the most important things we can do as Christians. So, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us inspire hope, tell others of the wonderful grace of Jesus Christ, depend on God's strength to be like Christ, and persevere until Jesus' return.
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