Passions, dreams, natural skills, talent, and intellect are some of God’s gifts to us to fulfil His purpose for our lives. A pure heart is required to experience this purpose fully, and such purity can only be obtained through a relationship with Jesus Christ (salvation).
The story you are about to read follows a young athlete who is passionate about his sport and his God, but he learns an invaluable lesson about purity and temptations. Enjoy his journey and stay tuned for the different legs of the race he has to run to get to the glorious finishing line. What kind of medal will he get at the end? Will it be bronze, silver, gold, or the ultimate prize of eternal life? All is dependent on how he runs his race…
“Good morning, Fort Rabal High!” the principal’s stern, yet polished voice bellowed from the intercom. It was the first day of the second term of school. He gave an extensive address and then announced, “All members of the track and field team, please meet with the coach in the gym immediately after school.” The gym was just another name for the physical education room.
Romario’s ears were perked. He was very enthused, having been transferred to Fort Rabal to do athletics last term, and considered the move a major step towards achieving his life-long dream of being the next athletic world champion. He excelled on and off the track, winning gold medals to match his grade A’s. His motivation, however, was rooted in his faith as a Christian.
Romario entered the gym, greeting everyone with his usual “hi” in a deep and charismatic tone. The girls giggled helplessly, and the physical education teacher shook her head and smiled. She had just rapped with the team of boys and girls about appropriate behaviour around each other.
They could hear Coach Palmer’s voice booming before he joined them, inviting them to walk with him for a few minutes as, again, he reminded them of the discipline he expected them to have as a team, outlining the school’s track record over the years.
QUICK TO THE DRAW
As he spoke, Christine and her friend Nicole traded a smile. Having heard this talk numerous times since first form, they knew the coach was doing it primarily for Romario, their most recent addition.
The two girls were a strange pair as they contrasted each other in many different ways. Christine was a humble, hard-working young Christian girl who was an upcoming youth leader in both her church as well as her school’s Christian clubs—ISCF as well as Passion and Purity. Nicole, on the other hand, was not a Believer. She hated school but was passionate about athletics, a love both she and Christine shared. Like Romario, she too was an excellent athlete who hoped to compete on the world stage.
One day, during lunchtime, as Christine sat with Nicole and another girl chatting, Romario and a friend were passing and asked if they could join them. Quick to the draw, Nicole pointed to nearby seats under the gazebo, none aware of the time scampering away while they discussed training, tracks, Champs (a popular athletic competition), and the desire to make it all the way to the top where they could represent their country at the Olympics.
Like clockwork, they all migrated to the same gazebo the following day and hung out together. After a while, this became their regular meeting spot during lunch and after training. A few others joined them occasionally, and Romario, on several occasions, shared with them about his faith in God. He also had a great sense of humour and soon became known as the group’s fireball.
One evening, someone posed the question of whether any of them would take drugs to win, knowing for sure that the drugs would go undetected. A heated discussion quickly ensued, and Nicole was shocked by Romario’s articulate defence of the need to play by the rules and that, as a Christian, he just could not take drugs, as it would violate his conscience and Biblical worldview.
It wasn’t long after this that Nicole confided in Christine that she had a serious crush on Romario. She constantly mentioned his attractive physique and personality, wilfully gazing into the distance like she was moonstruck when Christine would try to engage her in serious talk. Her mind was truly busy, though; her birthday was approaching, and she had a plan.
THE EVENT OF THE YEAR
Everyone was buzzing when the event of the year was finally announced! Hosted by her wealthy parents, Nicole’s birthday parties were usually lavish, but Romario was reticent in immediately accepting the invite, especially when she disclosed that he was her special guest. He was always very cautious about parties, dating, and even just casually hanging out anywhere outside of school, heavily relying on the counsel of his father, youth leader, and, of course, his own convictions to not compromise his Christian beliefs. Nevertheless, when the coach announced that Nicole’s parents had invited the whole team, he decided to go.
As much as he had heard accounts of Nicole’s parties, Romario was still stunned at the throng of people that greeted him, feeling a bit odd when she excitedly welcomed him as her special guest. His unease quickly evaporated, though, with the hours that slipped by while they played games, joked, and ate the sumptuous food. Nevertheless, because he was always mindful of his surroundings, the moment he felt a check in his spirit, he glanced at his watch; it was time to call his chauffeur dad.
It took a while to find Nicole, who was upstairs on her balcony. Despite being disappointed, when he shared with her that he had to leave, she was all smiles as she led him to meet her parents. Like their daughter, they were easy to speak with, saying they understood when he indicated after a while that his dad was on his way.
Romario was mentally calculating how close his father was. Deducing that there was ample time for a bathroom stop, he asked Nicole to lead the way, thinking nothing of it when she directed him to the door and quickly excused herself.
But when he entered the restroom, Romario got the shock of his life…
Stay tuned for the next leg of the relay.
Darien Callum is a member of Passion and Purity—a God-centered charity and para-church organisation, operating primarily in school, church, and media contexts. They aim to help others find their God-given passions and pursue same with purity.