de Tour

   I have been watching the Tour de France over the past several days, and, the endurance of these athletes has been a constant source of amazement for me. From my limited biking experience, I can hardly image what these cyclists go through. They no only ride more than twice as fast as I could on my best days, they ride farther, climb higher, descend faster and do it for more days in a row than I could even think about.

   The tour looks like an individual sport, but the team aspect comes out very clearly. Each team has a leader, and each man on that team has a role to play in helping his leader stand on the podium in Paris at the end of the 21 day race. Each man is a professional and, on his own, might win a stage or try to achieve individual glory, but he does his job for his leader.

   Watching the race as it goes through the mountain stages, I am struck by how a man might give his all so that his team leader can emerge victorious at the end of the day or the end of the race. I watch as this man stays in front of his leader for a good portion of the day, keeping him in his slipstream, seeing that he does not have to face the wind head on, then simply falls back and finishes the race way back in the peloton with the other unknowns. I believe the word used for them is "domestics". Now for the maximum effect you have to pronounce it like the french do..do' mess teeks, or something like that.

   Then the question comes to me, Am I willing to be a "domestic" for Christ, to be an unknown servant, doing what I am called on to do, forsaking all attempts at self glory for His sake.

   I know the example is not perfect, but I also know that Jesus was willing to make himself a "domestic" for me, and more. It is the least I can do for Him.