God Desires More for Me...than Just That

At the age of seventeen he ran an 8:53 for two miles. Four years later he made his first Olympic team finishing third in the Olympic Track Trials in the 10,000-meter race, running it in 28:10. Later that year he enters his first marathon and wins it in New York City, running a time of 2:09:41. In 1981 he wins the New York City marathon again, setting a world record that was later disallowed as they determined the course was slightly short. In 1982 he wins the Boston Marathon after a desperate mano a mano race in one of the most famous marathon duels in history with Dick Beardsley. Later that year he wins his third straight New York City marathon. During that same year in 1982 he also set new American Records in the 5000 meter and 10,000 meter distances on the track. The list goes on of his accomplishments, one of his latest being chosen by Lance Armstrong to pace him in his first marathon attempt in New York City in 2006. Then, just seven months later Alberto Salazar had a near fatal heart attack while coaching his athletes on the Nike Campus. His heart stopped working for 13-14 minutes. Alberto was basically dead.

Alberto says this about the event, “I can’t believe how blessed I am that this miracle took place.” He goes on to say that, “I see that it’s stupid to worry about money and investments. (It’s stupid to worry if) …people think I’m a great coach? That’s an ego thing; it doesn’t matter to me any longer.”

Alberto goes on later to say, “I’ve always believed that God has a plan for all of us, but he doesn’t force it on us. It’s up to us to have the faith to follow the plan. In my case, I feel that I’ve been living a pretty good life—I’ve tried to help my runners perform at the highest level. But now I’m thinking God expects more from me than just that.”

Indeed…God desires more for me than just that. Alberto has the answer to his own statement in the previous sentence. It is up to us to have the faith to follow the plan. Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but I will say it again. The only thing that pleases God is faith. Alberto’s statement is simplistic and yet profound. We must have the faith to follow the plan. God’s plan for our life will not be something that we can accomplish. At least not accomplish within our own strengths and abilities. His plan for our life will include living a life of faith. Living a life that requires faith to exist. Living a life that means stepping out of our comfort into a zone that brings us to the point of saying, “I don’t know if I am going to make it.” Because it is at that point that we are void of the faith that we have in ourselves and forces us to put our faith totally on God, and that is where it belongs.

Jesus came to earth…fully God and yet fully human. God’s plan for His life as a human included something that Jesus could not accomplish. At least not accomplish within the confines of His human side. Jesus asked that the task be removed. Jesus didn’t want to go through with it. But God’s plan and purpose had to prevail if Jesus were to fulfill His purpose on this earth. So, in His humanness Jesus had to rely on faith in God to move ahead.

To live a life without finding yourself at some point totally reliant on God to make it through is to live a life without faith. If Jesus, being the Son of God had to be brought to that point, whom are we to think, being humans as we are, that we will not be brought to that point.

My prayer today for you is that you allow yourself to find this point of total reliance on God…without being brought to the point of death. And when you come to this point and you have found the freedom of total faith in God that you can say like Alberto did, “I can’t believe how blessed I am that this miracle took place.”

Mark 14:36 - "Papa, Father, you can--can't you?--get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want--what do you want?"

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

P.S. Oh yeah…remember to catch a bit of the Olympic’s this weekend. What talent God has blessed these athletes with.

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved