The Olympics are happening. And as we have been reading the story of Job enduring terrible suffering, I have been reminded of an interview I once saw with Ian Thorpe. According to the internet, after his performance in the swimming in 2000 and 2004, Ian is currently tied as one of the most decorated Australian Olympic medalists in all sports. I just remember him being Australia’s answer to dolphins.

In this interview, he made a comment that he wasn’t particularly good at swimming. He said that the sport of swimming had progressed to a point where the winners were not the people who were naturally the best at swimming. The winners were the people who were best at training. And he was very good at training. I wonder how much that applies to every sport at the Olympics. I don’t imagine any athlete gets to that level without persevering through a lot of self discipline and hard work.

The story of Job is about unjust suffering. Job loses everything – his wealth, his children, his health – despite the fact that he has done nothing to deserve it. And the point is about life in general. Job asks the big questions about why people exist and why the world works the way it does. But the book of Job doesn’t give easy answers. In fact the answers it does give, the narrator gives to us readers at the start. But Job never gets answers!

So I wonder if the implication is: what matters most about me, is not my abilities, not how much I understand, but how much I just keep going.

That reminds me, I must go and see Finding Dory.