Higher Purpose

Daniel Diaz was born with malformed upper and lower limbs.  He was not equipped to compete like other boys he grew up with.  Instead, he competed on a higher level.  Daniel Diaz was a six-time gold  medal swimmer in the 2012 Paralymics in London.

In order to compete in the 50m butterfly, he had to race against the next highest level of competitors.  When told the news, his reply was. "No problem.  I will race for Brazil, for myself and for the Lord." Daniel Diaz was not just racing, he was racing with purpose, he was racing for national pride and for the glory of the Lord.

Daniel was in the lane next to Roy Clark, a world-class swimmer from the United States.  When the gun sounded, Daniel raced into the lead and held on.  As he touched the wall and turned for home, he could sense Roy closing in on him.  In the last 10 meters, he blocked out all the other swimmer, including Roy, and sprinted for the wall, giving it all he had, doing his very best.

Daniel won the race and looking up at the scoreboard, he learned that he had broken the world record.  When asked how he felt, Daniel responded, "I use the gift God gave me to do what I trained for and I do my best.  And when my best results in a gold medal, I am happy.  But if it doesn't happen I also am happy because I have it my best.  I deliver my life to Him and simply allow Him to act."

Daniel Diaz' attitude is a winning one that is found in the pages of the Bible: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Cor 9:24-27).

This same attitude, one of higher purpose, is the attitude that will carry anyone and everyone through life, causing us to do our best and therefore, achieve the best of which we are capable.  And this best is hat God calls us to - not someone else's best, not necessarily the best in the world, but our personal best.  Daniel Diaz, in doing his personal best, actually did the best in the world.  But his attitude was that even if he did not, he would be happy as long as it was his best - swimming with a higher purpose insured his best.

You and I, like Daniel Diaz and the apostle Paul, can swim or run or work or serve with that same higher purpose.  In so doing, we will do our best and we will have acted with honor and have brought glory to God who created us in His own image.  Jus' Say'n.