Editorial: The First of Many Lasts
The end of the Olympics is always bittersweet. You spend two weeks in awe of how the Lord has gifted athletes in various sports. Then, just as quickly as it starts, it ends. What is saddest of all is when athletes have to declare that any particular Olympics is their last one. How hard is it to say “goodbye” to the sport you poured so much of yourself into?
Perhaps the beauty of world competitions is just that. We realize the talented youth of today will be tomorrow’s veterans, passing the baton to the next generation of athletes who represent their nation on the global stage. Athletes know that they will one day face their “last” (Olympics, world championship, or what have you), so the opportunities they have now are more meaningful.
That sounds a bit like the Christian life, doesn’t it? Our time on this terrestrial ball is limited. We will eventually (perhaps unbeknownst to us) face our own series of “lasts.” Our task is to make the most of what the Lord has gifted us with for the furthering of His kingdom until the curtain falls on this part of our lives. As we breathe our last, we join the “great cloud of witnesses” surrounding the next generation of believers.
I’m at the beginning of the end of my seminary journey. One year to go. I’ll have my last first day of school and, Lord willing, my last last day of school. In the Student Center in mid-May, I’ll walk across that stage and receive my diploma. I will have to bid “farewell” to the numerous friends I’ve made, uncertain of when I’ll see them again. We will hand off the task of studenthood at Asbury to the next generation of seminarians, knowing that they are being equipped for the good work the Lord has called them to, just as we were.
I hope that the long nights reading, the friendships formed, and the work accomplished have somehow glorified my Savior. The time I’ve had in Wilmore has been so meaningful, especially because I knew that in four short years, it would come to an end. Here’s to the beginning of the end of this chapter, and whatever the Lord calls us to next.
This article is by Julia Hotchkiss, Alumni Office Student Worker.
Yes some lasts we know but others we don’t know, like this is the last time I will see you or this is my last day on this earth. So cherish each moment because it could be your last of anything.
What is the author’s perspective on the beauty of world competitions?
Hello! As the author, here are my thoughts on the beauty of world competitions. I think events like the Olympic and Paralympic Games remind us of the goodness of the bodies the Lord has given us. The various athletes playing different sports at these events look far different from one another, yet they excel in their respective sports. What a creative God we serve! Events like this also remind us that human beings are more similar than they are different – humans are creative, communal, and implicitly desire transcendence (ultimately the Lord, but more vaguely they desire to be part of something larger than themselves). In what other environment do you see athletes from warring countries congratulating one another on a race or game well done? I fully believe that sports can bring out the best (and the worst) in us, and the Lord can use even this medium to bring about His Kingdom purposes in the present age.