Remembering Don Knotts

Don Knotts has passed away at the age of 81. For years he humored us as the bumbling deputy, Barney Fife who helped to curb crime in Mayberry.

Mayberry was a rather innocent place in which the crimes were rather petty. I don’t recall a single murder in the more than 250 episodes. The sheriff, Andy Griffith, did not even carry a gun. Today’s television viewers see more violence in one commercial than ever took place in Mayberry over several years.

Knott’s humor was never coarse or vulgar. Although he may have had amorous intentions from time to time, the show never displayed the kind of blatant sexual language, innuendo or nudity so prominent in contemporary programs.

In Mayberry the F word probably stood for Fife. Today, the Hollywood writers have pushed language beyond acceptable barriers. A family with young children cannot watch television without having one finger always ready on the clicker to escape unacceptable content that arises with great regularity and rapidity.

Opie Taylor, the young boy appearing on Mayberry spent his time fishing, playing ball and chatting with Aunt Bea. He was not learning to put condoms on bananas, wondering whether he was a homosexual, trying to avoid gangs at school or experimenting with illegal drugs.

I am going to miss Don Knotts, Barney Fife and Mayberry. His passing reminds us that things never stay the same. It also jolts us when we realize how far and fast we have spiraled downward.

Some would argue that we are continuing to progress and become more enlightened than we were several years ago. I’m all for progress, but I’m not sure that leaving Mayberry is such a good thing after all.

Those who disagree will argue that I have my head in the sand and that the world is just not the same as it used to be. We just need to learn to deal with it.

They may have a point, but I wonder whether many people who resign themselves to those arguments might actually rather like the way things have gone. Deep down they don't mind it so much, at least not enough to want to do something about it.

If someone had kidnapped their child, I wonder if they would respond, "That's just the way the world is today."

The world is indeed a different place. As it continues to lurch into the future I will miss Don Knotts. He worked hard for so many years providing us with humorous and wholesome entertainment. Mayberry won't be the same without him.

Lessons from the Olympics

The Olympic Games ended tonight with a festive closing ceremony. Tomorrow the athletes will head for their home countries and the games will become a memory.

Some athletes who were not expected to medal came away with gold. Others who planned to get one or more gold medals left without any.

Sasha Cohen won a silver medal even though she led all skaters going into the final evening of figure skating competition. She began the long program with a fall and a near fall in which she touched the ice to keep from another spill. She did not let the terrible start ruin her medal opportunity but rallied to skate flawlessly for the remainder of the program.

Following that performance Bob Kostas asked Sasha if she planned to compete in the next Olympic games in Vancouver. He wondered whether she was willing to endure four years of hard training for a mere four minutes of skating.

Is it foolish to train so hard to compete in the Olympics? Lindsey Kildow battled injuries in Italy and was barely able to ski, much less win gold. The Italian ice dancing team came out of retirement only to suffer a fall during the initial skate. The whole world witnessed the anger that followed. U.S. skiing sensation Bodie Miller came to the games with great fanfare but failed to medal.

Why spend so much time training for the Olympics if an illness, a fall or an odd occurrence of one kind or another can ruin a four-minute moment? Sasha Cohen responded by saying that she does not look at the games in that way. She enjoys skating and takes it one day at a time.

Her comments remind us that the Olympic games can teach us several great lessons.

1. We should not focus so much on the prize that we fail to tackle life one day at a time.

2. Do not worry about tomorrow. Every day has enough trouble of its own. We may be so worried about losing the hockey game tomorrow that we fail to win today and make it to the next round.

3. Things do not always turn out as we wish. When things go wrong, we should not throw temper tantrums, pout or make excuses. We should react with grace. Kostas asked Cohen if her leg injury contributed to her falls. She said that it did not and stated that she merely missed the jumps.

4. Competing at the Olympic level involves a level of skill that comes only with tremendous dedication and discipline. Some people may argue that ice dancing, figure skating and curling are not real sports and should not be included in the Olympics. Regardless, these activities require huge sacrifices and involve thousands of hours of hard work. Many of life’s greatest treasures require similar commitment.

5. When we fall, it is never too late to get up and keep going.

6. Losing is not the end of the world. Richard Nixon, one who knew about falling and defeat, put it this way, "You've got to learn to survive a defeat. That's when you develop character."

These lessons extend well beyond sports. The Apostle Paul states,

“Do you know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” - 1 Cor 9:23-25

Olympic athletes vie for medals that can be lost, stolen or damaged. The Olympic swimmer, Hans Dersch who won a Gold medal at Barcelona was showing some young swimmers his medal. As he let them handle it he asked them not to touch the ribbon because it could easily fall apart if too many hands touched it.

Paul reminds us that there is an imperishable prize that awaits those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior. All believers will go to heaven, but not all will receive rewards. The Bible promises special rewards for such things as righteousness, faithfulness and loving His appearing, to name a few.

These crowns will never fade and should help us to put things on earth in proper perspective.

Things may not be going your way right now. You may be discouraged with your job, your church, your family, your health, even your very life. When that discouragement comes, you and I must consider the rewards that await us in heaven.

If it makes sense to endure four years of training to win a perishable prize, it makes far greater sense to endure life’s hardships to win an imperishable one. Today is not a day for discouragement but a day for rejoicing and for using our gifts to glorify the Lord. Let’s make every minute count for Him.

The Bible says that heaven is our home. We are merely strangers in a foreign land. One day this life will be over, and we will go home. The things of earth will seem fleeting as we enter heaven’s realm, see the Lord face to face and receive an imperishable prize.