In order to get into the Olympic spirit, I watched Cool Runnings last weekend. If you haven’t seen it, it is a hilarious movie about the first Jamaican bobsled team. It depicts how they learn a new sport, enter a new world, and strive to compete as equals as four black men in an all white sport.

In the two-minute clip below, the captain of the team asks his coach why he cheated as a competitor, thus costing himself and his team two gold medals. (He asks around the 30 second mark).

Coach responds, “I had to win. You see, I’d made winning my whole life. And when you make winning your whole life, you have to keep on winning. No matter what.”

He then concludes with a beautiful quote, “A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

Being a winner and a gold medalist gave Coach Irving Blitzer a sense of meaning and identity. The idea of living as a “loser” was so unthinkable for Irv that he dishonored the sanctity of Olympic competition by cheating. For Irv, winning was his god. And his god required him to sacrifice his morals and integrity.

Making a good thing an ultimate thing is the definition of idolatry, and every human is prone to make idols out of good things. In the quote above you could replace “gold medal” with just about anything and it would hold true:

“A spouse is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

“A house is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

“Wealth is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

“A degree is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

“Relaxation is a wonderful thing. But if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”

When we look to something or someone other than God to be our purpose and identity, we will be disappointed. We will compromise on what is truly important to attain that which is less important. Majoring in the minors, so to speak. We see examples of this in parents who spend so much time at work to provide for their family that they end up neglecting those they love most. Again, hard work and providing for your family are good and God-honoring things, but when work keeps you from doing what God has called you to do toward your loved ones, then it might be becoming an idol.

“How Will I know If I’m Enough?”

Derice concludes the video clip with a question I believe is in the back of everyone’s mind, “How will I know if I’m enough?” For me, this question loomed under the surface for a lot of my life. Did getting straight A’s make me enough? Being successful in sports? Having a significant other? Getting a Master’s degree? Fitting in and being liked by others? Being a ‘good Christian’? All of these things were based on my performance, and all of them left me feeling insecure (whether I was succeeding or not). Thankfully, God offers a better way.

The basic premise of the Christian faith is that humans are not and will never be enough. We are selfish, self-promoting, and limited in our capacity to do the right thing for the right reasons. In spite of this, God the Father sent Jesus to live a perfect life that we could not live, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our wrong living, and to rise from the dead in power. If you turn from sin to believe in Jesus, your performance no longer defines you. God sees all of your flaws and still loves you to the point of dying for you. If he accepted us then, how could he not accept us now?

Christ is enough, so I don’t have to be.