Going for Gold (Part 2)

I couldn’t take my eyes off the Olympic basketball game gold match between USA and Spain yesterday.

I am a self-confessed NBA fanatic who has been ardently rooting for the USA’s "Redeem Team" to bring back their country at the echelon of basketball supremacy. And with the most talented roster since 1992 and a sweeping sense of invincibility during the preliminary games where they blew each game open wide with 30 plus average winning margin, I was one of those who fool-hardly thought it would be an easy road to victory for them.

I was dead wrong since for most of the game, the Spanish team have dug deep into their steady talents and teamwork in giving the US team not only a good run for their money but a heart-deep scare of overcoming their seeming comfortable lead. In the end, however, it was the American’s will-power, dedicated preparations, familiarity with each other during long trainings and, of course, hoop talents that made the difference as they earned their gold medal win only during the dying minutes of the game.

Some aficionados boldly remarked that the road to their basketball redemption was made even sweeter with that edge-sitting thriller. Well for me, I am just glad they succeeded in their mission. They finally ended the 8 year championship drought and now are back on top where they belong.

Back where they belong.

Hmmmm…

Suddenly, this phrase struck me and made me think about my present relationship with the Lord. It’s been quite a while since my wife and I last participated in our “odd coding” (1^st, 3^rd and 5^th Sundays of each month) Sunday community masses due to social gatherings and outings. It has been quite a while since I have a personally deep conversation with Him, living out on sporadic and distracted prayer times instead. It has been quite a while since I recognized and offer insightful thanksgiving for all His daily blessings that never misses a beat. My daily bonding time with my children is sometimes marred by occasions of temper-flares that I have been struggling to keep under wraps. These are just to name a few.

More than ever, now is really the time for me to shape up and exercise my faith again before it withers and totally dries up. I need to get back up where God’s divine plan meant me to belong. By God’s graces (and mercy), I believe I can.

The truth is, we all can.