I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Some people fall apart under pressure, while others do really well.  The Olympics are a case study for this truth.  The difference between gold medals and no medals at that level has much less to do with skill and much more to do with handling pressure.

The pressure to perform is obviously high.  As if years of work focused upon a limited window of opportunity weren’t enough; the final goal has to be reached before the watching world.  Estimates put the viewership of the 2010 Winter Olympics at over three billion people.  Yes, three billion people.  If you get nervous teaching Sunday School, imagine how you would feel having billions of people watching you perform a difficult skill like figure skating, slalom skiing, or ice hockey.

How one handles these pressures becomes a key factor.  The athlete who nails the jumps in every practice finds herself stumbling over her feet.  The competitor who always hits the net in practice can’t seem to even get a shot off.  What accounts for this?  Most likely not lack of skill, but excess of pressure.

Shaun White’s gold medal run in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe shows an interesting variation on what happens under pressure because he captured the gold without any pressure.

The Snowboard Halfpipe event is something like riding a skateboard without wheels in a snow canyon with a rounded bottom and walls.  The competitors repeatedly go down into the halfpipe, pick up speed, and fly back out – literally!  They are judged on how well they soar, twist, and flip.

The gold medal finals allow each man to have two attempts and only his best score counts.  After the first round Shaun White led by four points (out of fifty).  With the highest score, he was allowed to go last in the second round.  As his time came for the second attempt, he knew he already had the gold medal wrapped up.  No one beat his first score with either of their runs.  He faced no pressure.

White could have headed straight to the awards podium or attempted some easy tricks for fun.  Instead, with no pressure to perform, he decided to make a challenging run that included his hardest trick.  He was there to snowboard after all.  Knowing that his victory was assured, why not attempt it?

The result was that White turned in not only his personal best score, but the highest score in this sports’ Olympic history.  Knowing the battle was already over, he nailed his hardest move: rising into the air to perform three and a half spins and two flips before plummeting down into a smooth landing.

What pressure are you under?  Maybe it is the pressure of feeling a call to public ministry (teaching Sunday School, leading a small group, witnessing to a friend, etc.).  Maybe it is facing a call to help others.  Maybe knowing you must do something, but not sure how it will go.

The Lord has put you here to follow him in attempting what is most challenging.  He has freed you from the pressure because he has already won.  The gold medal is yours because you were with him in his hardest move: rising into the air on a cross to suffer and die before plummeting down under the power of death only to burst from the grave in new life.

Your victory is assured.  What will you attempt without the pressure?