by Hansol An
Every four years the world comes together to celebrate the pinnacle of athletic achievement. The athletes that compete in the Olympic Games devote their lives to the pursuit of a gold medal. Most of the US Women’s Gymnastics team that won gold in this summer’s Olympic Games started gymnastics at age 2 or 3. Once an exercise class evolves into serious competition, the commitment increases significantly. A family moving for the sake of one child’s training is not uncommon. At 14 years old, Gabby Douglas moved away from her family to train with a sought-after coach. Yet most Olympic hopefuls are not able to realize their goal of winning an Olympic gold medal. A small percentage wins a gold medal (less than 6% won at least one gold medal) but the vast majority walks away empty-handed. Most everyone in the world admires this level of dedication because it can result in exclusive personal glory.
College students can relate to dedication, though maybe to a lesser degree. Many strive for years, studying for thousands of hours to excel in academics in an attempt gain entrance into a “good” college. Then, the fortunate ones get to spend 4 (or more) years in college to get a piece of paper that confirms their dedication.
Gold medal or diploma, in both instances the achievement is finite. The Apostle Paul made reference to the perishable wreath that the world awards us in 1 Corinthians 9:25. In contrast, Christian devotion results in an imperishable wreath: everlasting life in the presence God. Yet, in America, it seems as though Christians live lives that are far cries from being characterized as devoted to the imperishable wreath. For college students in America the challenge can be even greater.
Dictionary.com defines devotion as a “profound dedication; consecration; earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.” In order for that level of commitment to be attained a person has to be focused on the object of that commitment. Collegians experiencing freedom from parental oversight for the first time are exposed to a litany of distractions vying for their attention. There is a seemingly endless supply of distractions for today’s college students but the standard remains the same as in Paul’s day. God wants our complete and undivided devotion.
Christ himself demanded nothing less than everything. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus tells his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” His audience understood the seriousness of those words. The cross represented humiliation, violence and death. Christ equated devotion to him, to death! No one does that. But that’s what God wanted for his disciples then, and that’s what is required of us today. Our devotion to the Lord should make our attachment to everything else seem like hate. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple,” Jesus said in Luke 14:26. Does our devotion match Christ’s expectations?
We need to be honest with ourselves and to God. He already knows the truth in our heart but we still need to openly confess our misplaced devotion to the pursuit of perishable wreaths and live lives with a singular focus on him. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24). What are your time, talent and money pursuing? The answer to that question will reveal the object of your devotion. God gave us examples of extraordinary devotion throughout the Bible (God and Israel, Hosea and Gomer, the Disciples, etc.) but the best example He gave us was His Son. As the new school year begins, let’s be devoted to the one who perfectly denied himself.