Olympic Observations II: Fulfillment (David Boudia)

Today, we focus on the fulfillment we can experience in Christ.  Here's what Isaiah 55:
1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live...

By the way we live our lives, we demonstrate how we believe that true fulfillment comes.   In our pursuit of happiness, sort of speak, we can try to fill the inner void with material possessions or our occupation or even the amount of time we spend doing God's work.   But, true, lasting fulfillment is not something we pursue and attain, it comes as we rest in the presence of God and allow Him to live His life through us.

Psalm 90 reminds us that in Christ, we can experience true satisfaction:
14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! 15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil. 16 Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. 17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.


Nicolas McCrory and David Boudia (Bo-die-uh) have taken the Men's Synchronised 10m Platform Diving Bronze Medal for Team USA.    Boudia is a Christian who has made quite a turnaround in his life since the Beijing Olympics in 2008.   His life was literally taking a nosedive, but Christ reached in and pulled him up.  On the website, "Beyond the Ultimate", he shares in his own words:

Through the 2008 Olympics, it was all about me, my glory and money. But all of it was vanity. I left the Olympic Games, which is an incredible experience, feeling unsatisfied. That glory was very temporary.

Once I got into college, I got into the party scene and seeking approval from my friends. I was on a path of total destruction. At the start of my sophomore year, I found myself flat on my face, wondering what I was doing and what life was about. My teammates suggested I call my coach, and we ended up talking at his house on a Sunday night. He asked me about my “God story” and then he and his wife shared the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ with me. I saw then how sinful I was and how much I needed God to redeem me. I devoted my life right there to Christ and asked for forgiveness. The Holy Spirit began to move in my heart then and gave me a desire for what He wanted.

Since then, I continue to see my need for Christ in my life. I go through so many trials, and I’m thankful that God continues to be faithful and show His grace through them. I can’t picture my life without God right now.

So often, we live life at a level far beneath what God has intended, settling for much less than what He wants to give - we think that living our own way will bring satisfaction, but just a David experienced after Beijing, there's a void.    The path to destruction is broad, and it is paved with our own selfish desires and ambitions.  But, when we let go and allow the Lord Jesus to be in control of our thoughts, our decisions, and the direction of our lives, we find that He will fulfill us.

Now, that doesn't mean David Boudia sits around the house and relaxes - he's practicing, perfecting the craft and the calling with which God has entrusted Him.   As the Visa commercial showing him diving off the world's tallest building, he makes 25,000 practice dives in a year, the equivalent of diving off that building 180 times.   But, now he does so with a purpose, and a sense of fulfillment in Christ.