‘OSCARS’ by Joel Pridmore

24 February 2013

Has the word ‘Oscar’ ever been uttered or written in the media as much as last week? Of course, there is the usual furore surrounding the Academy Awards, with the 85th annual awards taking place tonight. This week, however, another Oscar has been the centre of attention. In 1983 the movie ‘Blade Runner’ was nominated for two academy awards but didn’t win any – an injustice in many fan’s eyes. 30 years later almost to the day and the world has been watching as justice is sought surrounding the man dubbed the real-life blade runner as he faces charges for pre-meditated murder. South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius, has been dubbed heroic for his sporting success, despite having been born with a condition meaning both legs were amputated as an 11 month old baby. At London 2012, he reached perhaps the highest point of his career by becoming the first double amputee to run in the Olympic Games. Six months later and he is facing what is surely the lowest point of his life. On his shoulder Oscar has a tattoo of the passage from Corinthians where Paul speaks about the discipline required to compete in a race and applies this to the spiritual discipline required for the sake of the gospel. Pistorius clearly knows what it is to train his body to compete and win races. The Hollywood stars clearly know the discipline it takes to be the best and win Academy Awards. But the bad news for them is that if their discipline is confined to their gifting, then their crown, or award, is one that will not last. The hype of their success in the media is fragile and its fragility has been so well illustrated this week. What are you training for? Worldly or eternal reward? Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)