Yesterday we went to see the mass events at the London Triathlon - the Olympic and sprint distance events. We were too late to see the elite women's race, which was won by Non Stamford, the new women's World Champion.
But at the mass events there were hundreds, probably thousands of men and women swimming, cycling and running their way round Hyde Park. The starts were staggered over a couple of hours and the Standard Distance was followed by the Sprint Distance events. Add to that the fact that the bike was a 5 lap course and the run a 4 lap course it meant that at any point you'd be watching a whole spectrum of athletes.
There were those who looked like triathletes and those who didn't. There were those who looked fit and those who...didn't. On the cycling there were some people on carbon fibre bikes, with the solid back wheels and the aerodynamic tear drop shaped helmets that you see during professional time trials - and there were others on mountain bikes that creaked as they went past.
For some this was their first triathlon and the aim was simply to finish, others would have been chasing a PB, very few would have had ambitions to win their age category etc.
But at least they were in the race - which is more than could be said for those of us who were watching.
Some people live life as spectators rather than competitors. Some Christians live as spectators - taking a comfy seat and watching everyone do all the work - but that's not an option. We all have a part to play and it is important that we know what our part is and that we're fully involved.
So the next time you sit down to watch a triathlon, or the football, or the tennis, or even the Proms ask yourself whether you are a simply a spectator or whether you're playing your part in your Christian life?
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