Starting Positions
Last February, you could find me in front of the TV after our son’s bedtime, watching the Winter Olympics every night. From curling to hockey to speed skating and more, I was tuned in and loved each event. In fact, whenever the Summer or Winter Olympics happen, my wife and I love to watch, cheer, and enjoy the games.
After this round of the Winter Olympics, it got me thinking about something. Outside of one sport (speed skating), all the sports have the same starting positions. Nobody starts in front of anybody else. They all come to the starting line, and when the countdown ends, they begin at the same time from the same position. The competition level is there, but it feels fairer.
It’s so interesting to see when the sport or event has different starting positions, though. It feels like one athlete has to make up way more ground than the other. Basic geometry tells us that these starting positions are fair, but it looks more unfair to the untrained eye. And when things seem unfair, it leads to more heated competition and division rather than friendly competition and unity.
I bring this up because of the current state of affairs we live in. There’s turmoil in our world with conflicts, wars, violence, and more. There are polarizations in our nation over every topic, ranging from economics to religion to gender and more. And, the media uses any and every story to bring forth their bias and sway listeners to “their side.”
In other words, depending on what and who we are regularly listening to, we have different starting positions. And these starting positions aren’t about geometry and making races fair. These starting positions lead us to hate the other side, miss opportunities to celebrate and collaborate, and ultimately, they are about defending whatever bias, party, affiliation, or connected beliefs we may have.
Because we have different starting positions, we have missed core truths that unify us, keep us grounded, and remind us of what matters most. As I’ve been thinking about this, I’ve come to a few starting positions that I’d like to suggest as a unified and common ground to stand upon.
Starting Positions:
God is God. We are not (Is. 45:5). There is only one King, and our trust is in Him alone. We do not trust in kings, rulers, and administrations (Ps. 146). The government is on Jesus’ shoulder, and His government brings peace (Is. 9:6-7).
We cannot forget that we are all human together (Ps. 8, 103). We are all neighbors. Whatever side of the political aisle you’re on, whatever news network you watch, we are all human beings made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), and if you have met one of us, you’ve met one of us. If you’ve met one immigrant, you’ve met one immigrant. If you’ve met one ICE agent, you’ve met one ICE agent. If you’ve met one democrat, republican, or any other title a person may carry, you’ve met one other person. Media, journalism, and statements being made are driving us apart. If your news sources are causing you to hate your neighbor or think hateful things about others, find a new one (Mt. 22:36-40).
There are many voices propelling forward the unrest. We must be people who are anchored in God’s Word (Col. 3:16) and allow His Word to be our response (Col. 4:6). God calls (Mt. 22:36-40) us to love Him and to love our neighbor (every person). He calls us to love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with our God (Mic. 6:8). He tells us that whatever we do for the least of these among us, we do unto Him (Mt. 25:31-45). He tells us that we are not to overcome evil with evil, but with good (Rms. 12:21). He calls us to pray for those in authority and leadership (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Let these be your firm foundation. Let these be your course settings. Let these be your prayers.
We are seeing awful things every day. People are being treated and spoken about in terrible ways. Violence is not the answer. Hatred is not the answer . Division is not the answer. Commit yourself to prayer. Commit yourself to action (Rms. 12:9-21). Commit yourself to the ways of God and find peace in this: God is still on the throne (Ex. 15:18; Ps. 47:8), His Spirit is still within us (1 Cor. 3:16), and He is at work in doing more than we can imagine (Eph. 3:20): making all things good (Rms. 8:28) and new (2 Cor. 5:17).
I believe these starting positions to be true and that we would do well to start from these truths. I believe these truths will set us free from constant polarization, tense competition, and missing one another’s humanity. I believe these truths will tether us to the consistent reign of God and His faithful promises. I believe that these truths will help us to see better, speak better, and be better as neighbors on this planet.
Back to the Olympics. I noticed one more thing about starting positions. When everybody started from the same place or ran the same route, they would still have competition, but their celebration of one another was much bigger than starting at different places. They would wait at the finish line, cheering each other on, congratulating other competitors, and standing with each other as people who had common ground.
Friends. Let us start together and run this race before us. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord and remind ourselves of His reign. Let us see one another through God’s love and celebrate our unity. Let us anchor in the Word and do what it says. And let us find a way forward and finish well together. To that great finish line, where all of heaven is celebrating, I pray and write. Amen.
