Find Your Greatness: In Synchrony

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 

Psalm 145:3

Time to dive in ladies—have you ever seen a greater array of pool events? The diving of course. How do they maintain such poise? How can they twist twice, somersault three times, and not leave a splash on entry? And what about the tandem divers—two at a time, in synchrony? I was impressed.

On the other hand, equally impressive was the much more physical water polo. No way could I grapple for the ball, swim with it bobbling between my arms, throw one-handed, fend off the dunkings of the other team, all the while treading water.

Now, consider the synchronized swimming teams with their combined poise and stamina. I actually was foolish enough to try the sport in university. Very quickly I learned, it was not for me. My feeble attempt was vaguely reminiscent of the Smothers Brothers or Martin Short. These ladies practice six hours in the pool daily, plus additional time in weight training, ballet, gymnastics, and running. And, they have such great lung capacity for all that time spent underwater. The dual fan cams this year gave us a beautiful view of the perfection of the above and below the water synchrony. Lots of oohs and aahs from me.

However, Missy Franklin was the darling of the pool. At the age of 17 she is the proud owner of four golds and one bronze medal. Move over Michael Phelps. Even if you hold the record with 22 medals, eighteen of which are gold, your life lacks substance. On your bio you list “no religion”. Did you really think smoking a bong set a good example for the up and coming generation of swimmers? We need to pray, Michael, that you will find true greatness.

In contrast, Missy humbly acknowledges the Lord as integral to her success: “God is always there for me. I promise to be a positive role model for young athletes.” Way to go Missy, for the golds. And way to go as you, in your youth, begin to fathom the true nature of our God. Personal greatness lies in synchrony with He Who is most worthy of praise.  

Nancy P