Phelps helps: A religious analogy

Michael Phelps (Photo by JD Lasica)

As the world is abuzz with praise for the aquatic feats of Michael Phelps, perhaps it's a good time to reflect upon the roots of these achievements.

During an April 2007 interview with Time Entertainment, Phelps was asked this two-part question:  How do you contend with the

psychological challenge of counting laps or lengths?  What does God mean to you?  In answer to the first part of this interesting juxtaposition of inquiries, Phelps partially replied:  When I race, I don't think about it, it just happens…  (During this interview, he also spoke about engaging in regular workouts, eating nutritious meals, having a personal life apart from swimming, and living "a pretty conservative life.")

In answer to the "God" part, Phelps seemed to be pondering out loud.  He began by responding with "What does God mean to me?  That's the question?" and continued with these words:  I guess I was made this way for some reason, and I've been able to find the talent I have, and I've been able to use it, so I'm grateful for that.  I believe in God…  (This doesn't necessarily translate into a "highly religious" stance –

Phelps then added that he "used to always go to church on holidays, but I don't go much anymore.")

Nevertheless, Phelps is the cornerstone of an inspiring analogy by someone who not only goes to church regularly, but also leads the services.  Pastor Sam Nunnally, in his thought-provoking Purging my soul… one blog at a time, has a post titled Michael Phelps and the Lost Secret of Christianity.  Nunnally identifies Christianity's "lost secret" as "not us living for Christ, but Christ living through us."  He then offers

three scenarios for those who aspire to be Olympic swimmers: one in which the aspirant intellectually studies Phelps' techniques but never actually hits the water; another in which the aspirant hires Phelps as a personal coach and actually does some practicing; and a third in which Michael Phelps "steps inside" of the aspirant and "swims through" him/her.  Nunnally then asks the reader to reflect upon which scenario might yield the best results.

Nunnally afterwards compares the first scenario to Old Testament legalism, the second scenario to Christian legalism, and the third scenario to Christianity's "divine waltz" in which Christ's moves become the aspirant's own (if s/he were to relax enough to let that happen).

Resources

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1612765,00.html

http://samnunnally.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/michael-phelps-and-the-lost-secret-of-christianity/

Copyright August 1, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved