I love the Olympics.

I know this isn’t the first time I’ve waxed eloquent about the Olympics.  Because I love them that much.  The Olympics make me contemplate using vacation days so I can stay at home and watch sport all day long.  And you know I save my vacation days for our annual summer trip to some US city none of my friends have ever heard of.  Yeah.  It’s that serious.

The Olympics represent the best of humanity and the miraculous working of God on spectacular display.  The Olympics are beauty and heartbreak, triumph and tragedy, camaraderie and rivalry all rolled into a little more than two weeks.

And I need that.  I think we all do — now more than ever.

I’m daily bombarded with the worst of humanity.  With racism and misogyny.  Misdirected fanaticism.  Hate.  Murder.  School-to-prison pipeline.  Guilty until proven innocent.  Abuse of power.

Alternative facts.

But the Olympics.

The Olympics showcase people who have maximized their God-given talents and through them inspire others.  The Olympics bring together people who look different and worship differently.  The Olympics allow families torn apart by political ideologies to compete under the same flag.

I love the Olympics and the positive potential they elevate in society, if only for a little over two weeks.