Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Less-Than-Olympic Moments 4

The last post in a series about the not-so-shining moments from this year's Summer Olympics.

Most people would consider an Olympic medal of any color quite an accomplishment. Not Ara Abrahamian. The Swedish wrestler won the greco-roman bronze medal. During the medal ceremony, Abrahamian took the bronze from around his neck, stepped from the podium and dropped it in the middle of the wrestling mat. Then he walked off.

“I don’t care about this medal. I wanted gold,” he said.

He later announced that he is quitting the sport. “This will be my last match. I wanted to take gold, so I consider this Olympics a failure,” he said.

Wow. Where to begin? Apparently he was absent the day they taught about good sportsmanship.

There may be an age controversy about some Chinese gymnasts, but the last time I checked, there is no doubt that Ara Abrahamian is an adult. But he definitely wasn't acting like one at this particular moment.

If there's one thing I grow tired of from adults, it's whining. My son whines all the time. It annoys me, but I understand it because he's 8 months old!!! My other son is 4 years old, and he knows that daddy doesn't put up with whining.

But it seems like a lot of adults have forgotten (or never received) this childhood lesson. I hear whining all the time from grown-ups. Actually, that's a bad choice of words. A "grown-up" doesn't whine because, at some point, they grew up.

Time for a little blunt truth. Life isn't fair. You don't always get your way. It's not always about you. Sometimes you get the gold. Sometimes you don't. But whining in these situations just displays your immaturity for the world to see.

Oh, and can I make just one more observation? Usually the people who actually have a right to whine…don't. I know so many people who are carrying unbelievable burdens, and yet they never gripe, complain, or whine about it. I stand in awe of them.

As I said, this post is blunt. It needs to be. But don't think that I'm preaching from some high-and-mighty platform. I can slink into whining mode in my own life at times. And when I recognize this trend in my life, it disgusts me.

I'm committed to a "no whining" policy in my own life. I hope you'll join me.