The Olympics is a global spectacle that celebrates the top tier excellence in sports. The best of the best. We marvel at the athletes' abilities, their speed, strength, and grace. We applaud the winners, sympathize with those who fall short, and immerse ourselves in the culture of it. Yet, every four years we are reminded of a deeper truth; our human judgment in inherently flawed.
Every year, specifically more in recent years, there's questions of of legality and creating fairness around things like performance enhancing drugs, testosterone and hormone levels, and even more recent, gender. The judges of the sports must decide where to draw the line in the sand, a near impossible task. If we were to make the Olympics "fair" in the truest sense, we'd have to consider much more than the final performances. We would need to account for each athlete's unique circumstances. We would have to track their hormone levels, height, weight, body mass index, and countless other factors that influence their abilities. Instead of who crossed the finish line the fastest, we would then have to compare their times to their body data to understand who technically "earned" the gold metal. Only this way could we attempt to judge "apples to apples". This doesn't even account for the internal struggles either. How could we ever possibly measure the internal perseverance, the personal sacrifices, and the mental fortitude required? The reality is our judgement will always be limited by what we can see and quantify.
The Olympic games highlights this fact, but it's true in every day life as well. We humans are limited on how we judge success, our assessments being based solely on external results -- who crosses the finish line first, who lifts the heaviest weight, who has the highest paying job, who has the most children. We see the visible outcomes, but we remain oblivious to the invisible struggles behind them.
However, God judges not by external appearances buy by the heart. A small, seemingly insignificant act might hold immense value if it represents a great internal struggle overcome. For example, we cheer when an injured Olympian walks off the field because we know the small act of walking on their own is significant because we were able to see what struggle they went through. Conversely, a grand act that appears impressive to the world may mean little if it required no personal sacrifice. Just as the woman who gave God her last two coins meant more than multi-billionaires giving away one of the billion to a charity. The true measure of an action lies not in its outward manifestation but in the internal context.
The perspective sheds light on the fallacy in our society tends to judge based on outward success. Just as we can never fairly judge an Olympian without knowing their body stats or internal struggles, we cannot truly understand the moral and spiritual challenges others face in their daily lives either. A person who appears to have accomplished little might be overcoming tremendous obstacles, while someone else's seemingly grand achievements might come easily, without much effort or sacrifice.
Understanding the limits of our judgment calls for greater compassion and humility. We should be cautious in our assessments of others, recognizing that what we see is but a fraction of the truth. The story of the Olympics, with its visible triumphs and invisible struggles, is a powerful reminder of the complexity of human experience and a reminder that only God is the perfect judge.
Ultimately, the only fair judgment is one that considers the whole person, including the unseen aspects that only God can fully know. As Christians, we're called not to judge but to love one another, acknowledging that each person's journey is unique and often hidden from our view. So, as we watch the Olympics and navigate our own lives, let's remember to approach others with compassion and humility, recognizing that the most significant battles are often fought within