Raw and Connected by John Monday

Boddie Miller skied what will probably be the last Olympic competition of his life in Sochi. When he finished his run, he was first in the standings, but the best in the world were yet to ski. He knew that his run had been flawed and would likely not hold up. 

The world watched as skier after after skier came down the mountain. The first two to follow Boddie finished just hundredths of a second behind his time. The tension was palpable as he stood there with his wife - watching.  The next few skiers made mistakes that removed them from the competition, and we continued to watch.  Finally, the inevitable happened, and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway beat Boddie’s time, and Boddie was moved into the silver medal position. Moments later in a remarkable finish, Jan Hudec of Canada finished in a dead heat with Boddie, and they now shared the silver slot.  Finally the last skier, Boddie’s teammate, Andrew Weibrecht, took his turn finishing ahead of Boddie’s time and moving Boddie and Jan into a shared Bronze medal.

After a career that has spanned more than 16 years and included six olympic medals, Boddie Miller had an unusually emotional response to this shared bronze.  Throughout his career he has maintained a consistently cavalier attitude toward medals and awards but this time it mattered.

His path to this year’s games was a tough one. It included the death of his brother, a custody battle for his son, recovery from surgery, and a new marriage.  In short, this year’s olympics was not a certainty, and the arrogance of the past has been replaced with humility that comes from understanding your humanity. 

In post event interviews Boddie’s emotions barely allowed him to speak. When he was able to speak, he uttered words that I think we could all relate to: "It all feels so raw and connected.”  In that one short phrase, Boddie Miller capsulized what I believe describes life with God, “raw and connected.”

Raw - Unpretentious, unfiltered, exposed, vulnerable, trusting. When you're living raw, everything is on the line all the time.

Connected - Everything matters, everything touches, everything counts, nothing is irrelevant or unimportant.

Raw and connected, what a great way to live. The phrase reminds me of the opening words in the gospel of John.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Raw and connected. It’s a reality that we often can’t see. Everything is connected.  As Christians, we believe that not only are all things connected, but all things are connected through Jesus. Yet we try constantly to put things in boxes, to establish silos, to separate, to disconnect.

There are Christian businessmen who, when questioned about their business ethics and activities, will say, "church is church, and business is business” - Disconnected.  But this disconnection is not relegated to businessmen. We too often believe that we can pick and choose the things we want to share with God or the things with which we need his help.

We not only believe that we can separate ourselves from him, but we believe we can do things that will cause God to turn his back on us: Listen to the wrong music, eat the wrong food, drink the wrong drink, read the wrong book, or enjoy the wrong party, and you won’t see God, right?

Not according to the Bible:

I look behind me and you’re there,

    then up ahead and you’re there, too—

    your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

    I can’t take it all in!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?

    to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you’re there!

    If I go underground, you’re there!

If I flew on morning’s wings

    to the far western horizon,

You’d find me in a minute—

    you’re already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!

    At night I’m immersed in the light!”

It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;

    night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

Psalm 139:5-12

Raw and connected. That is the way of God.  Boddie saw a raw connection between his custody battle and his bronze medal - between his brother's death and his olympic performance.  It may not seem to make sense but in that moment, that raw moment, he perceived the connection. Raw and connected.

I am a Christian.  That means everything is raw and connected.  Listening to a gregorian chant or Led Zepplin, Christ is there to be heard.  Building a church in Guatemala or watching a Transformers movie, God is there to be seen.  Worshiping in a church or having coffee with a friend, Christ is there.  Christ is everywhere, in everything, suffering every pain, celebrating every joy, holding every hand and heart through every decision and mistake, and guiding us to a better country.

Raw and connected.

John Monday