Thought for the Week

I have loved the Olympics, and Great Britain have done well.

But we shower the victor with adoration,attention and treasure, while the loser, no matter how slim the margin, fades into obscurity. Why? Because we crave a means of determining who is ‘the best,’ so that we can identify ourselves with them.

Once we know that Jason Kenny or Andy Murray are the best, we can eat their cereal, drink their sports drinks, all the while, feeling we are like them.

Oh, without all that hard work, practice, and stuff.

Some athletes thank God after they win.

So does that mean God only support those who do win?

What if you are someone who comes in down the ranking?

I’m not saying that God isn’t on the side of those who emerge victorious.

Look at David, taking on a big warrior with a kid’s toy - that guy was pretty successful.

But for the most part, God,and Jesus in particular seemed to like the less-than- stellar folks.

Peter made mistakes, yet God built the church with him.

Paul wrote much of what became the New Testament, and he had a track record.

Then there’s Jesus, hanging out with the losers, the sick, the criminals; the kind of folks you would not likely see climbing to the top of the medal stand.

And although I’d love to identify as often as possible with the big winners, more often than not my heart lands in the losers’ camp too.

And if you’re a fan of come-frombehind victories like the ones so often celebrated in the sports world, you can’t really do much better than Jesus. Karen Hamilton Deacon Cambuslang Parish Church