As a very young athlete, I remember seeing my first Olympics. Following that, I dreamed of how incredible it would be to be an Olympic champion.  In a little less than a month, the 2016 summer Olympics will commence and I will be watching when I can.

While the Olympics were once an “end all” for me, I now see greater value in the life lessons that seem to pour out of those two weeks of world-class competition.  Though I appreciate the years of dedication an athlete must give in order to be an Olympian, I’m mindful of realities in this world that cause athletic achievement to pale in comparison.

Over the past few weeks terrorist attacks in the US,  Turkey and Iraq have grabbed world headlines.  Indeed, these were tragic events in which we must stand against.  However, imagine living in an Israeli city on the Gaza border.

Since 2001 and despite multiple attempts at “peace talks,” over 15,000 rockets have been fired from the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip into Israel, according to IDF statistics.

As recently as last Saturday, a jihadi group thought to be associated with ISIS, launched yet another rocket out of Gaza.  Fortunately, the kindergarten it struck was unoccupied at the time.

Now imagine that you live in Sderot or another Israeli village very near the Gaza border.  This would be your reality:

Even the greatest Olympic athlete would fail to reach a safe place during a rocket attack unless shelter was very nearby.  Let’s commit to pray for the safety of those living near Gaza and in danger of senseless rocket attacks.  If you wish to help provide much-needed bomb shelters to endangered Israelis, you may do so through a project sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).  Find details here.

(More about the Palestinian Problem and Terrorism.)