Matt Emmons had already won one Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. One final shot remained for him winning another Gold Medal victory when he made the oddest and most costly of mistakes.
One of the surest shots in Olympic rifle history, Matt held a commanding lead going into the final round. All he had to do was hit the target. Somewhere. Anywhere. Just hit the target. He took his usual deep breath as he viewed the target through the sight on his rifle. Slowly, he pulled the trigger and fired a bullseye on the target in Lane 3. The problem? Lane 2 was his target. He fired a great shot, but at the wrong target.
Taking Aim
Unfortunately, I have made the same mistake in regular life, and I know many others have as well. We celebrate our victories in battles that were either unnecessary or unimportant. We can easily fool ourselves into think we are doing great when we look at these victories. However, these hollow temporal victories keep us from the more important eternal battles.
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We take delight in winning an argument, but fail to recognize we have lost the opportunity to further dialog.
Other times, we rejoice in a political victory, while alienating others who need to hear the more important message of Jesus.
We celebrate the victories of our favorite athletic team, and fail to mourn over our sin and the sin in our culture.
We take great aim, and we fire off great shots. Pity it’s sometimes at the most useless of targets. Take a moment for some honest introspection. Will what you celebrate today really matter in eternity?
Jesus said,
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21
Paul wrote,
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:1-2
Check Your Lane
I’m not suggesting you never engage discussions with others or never take stands for important issues. I am asking is the battle we intend to win will in the long run cost us the eternal war. Do we get as passionate about the things of the Lord as we do the things of this world? Do we want people to agree with God more than we want them to agree with us?
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I always remember two gold nuggets of truth I’ve heard over the years.
First, you don’t have to attend every argument you are invited to.
Second, never sacrifice the war to win one battle.
Let’s make sure that we engage the most important issues. Let’s take aim at the eternal and let others play around with the temporal.
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ… – Philippians 1:9-10 (bold added for emphasis)
Post Script
Lest you feel too much sorrow for Matt, his story has a happy ending. After the misfire, Katurina Kurtova, a competitor from the Czech Republic came over to console him. Today, she is Mrs. Katurina Emmons. He may have lost the medal, but he won something more precious than gold.