he Olympics in Athens has been a good picture of life in the world. We have seen unfair judging, shady tactics, bad timing, personal loss, and frustration. On the other side, we have also seen great personal triumph, hints of unity, and victory for some who rarely have a reason to cheer.

One of the major themes that comes through loud and clear is that it takes planning and lots of training to simply get in the games. Many of the victors had been there before and had to try again to get the gold medal. Through dedication and discipline many overcame great trials and were declared to be the best in the world at their particular event. Some openly gave credit to the Lord for their win on worldwide television.

Last Sunday at Hillside we looked at the scripture from Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. He taught that the broad easy way only leads to destruction, while the narrow way leads to life. It seems that many are put off by such statements. We don't tend to sign up for the difficult, but rather for the easy. We want to try to find a way to make what Jesus said suit the way we already are. The problem is that through the difficult trials we are changed and refined into what He wants us to be instead of what we are at present. Without the trials we don't change. He desires that we come to fully depend on Him and not ourselves. We also tend to get distracted by the side issues in life and end up giving too much of our energy and time to things with no eternal significance.

We have all chosen a path that determines where we will arrive. We are becoming what we are doing right now. Where are you headed?