The year was 1924. The Olympic Games were staged in Paris, France. These were the same Olympics immortalized in the film “Chariots of Fire” that traced the dreams and internal struggles of two Olympic champions, Eric Liddel and Harold Abrahams. While Eric and Harold were fighting for gold on the oval, another battle was raging on the water. And, still, another was being fought all the way across the ocean in Arlington, Virginia.
The United States was expected to bring home the gold in the rowing and canoeing events, and Bill Havens was the heart of the team. A few months before the team took the two-week journey across the ocean, Bill received some good news and some bad news. The good news: his wife was expecting a baby! The bad news: the baby was due about the same time as the 1924 Olympics.
Bill now faced the toughest decision of his life. Should he go to Paris and fulfill his dream of competing in the Olympics and possibly win a gold medal or two? Or, should he stay home in Arlington, Virginia for the birth of his child? Bill spent many sleepless nights agonizing about this decision. Since childhood, he had dreamed of standing on the winner’s platform with the American flag being raised behind him and his national anthem blaring through the loudspeakers. His dream could finally become a reality in a few short months.
After many sleepless nights, Bill Havens arrived at a decision that would haunt him for three decades. He decided it was more important to stand by his wife’s side as she delivered their child than to stand on the winner’s platform and receive an Olympic medal.
As it turned out, Frank Havens was born August 1, 1924, just four days after the closing ceremonies. Had he made the trip to Paris, Bill would have been somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean while his wife was delivering their son.
For almost 30 years, Bill Havens would second-guess his decision. Hardly a day passed that he didn’t relive his gut-wrenching decision. Many nights he had vivid dreams of competing in the Olympics and of winning the gold. He could hear the cheering crowds. But every time he reached out to touch his medal, he would wake up and realize it was just another dream.
The torment finally stopped in the summer of 1952. One brief telegram from Helsinki, Finland convinced him once and for all that almost 30 years ago he had made the right decision. Here’s what the telegram said: “Dear Dad, thanks for waiting around for me to get born in 1924. I’m coming home with the gold medal you should have won. Your loving son, Frank.”
Frank was bringing home the Olympic gold medal for the 10,000-meter canoeing event.
The father had a dream. He passed it on to his son. The son fulfilled it. Because Bill Havens was somehow able to transfer his vision, values, and passion to the next generation, his son, Frank, was able to pay the price to become an Olympic champion. I hope I’m able to do the same with my sons (physical and spiritual sons). I hope that one day they will take my dream of “making disciples, training leaders, and planting churches” a step further than I was able to. I hope they will catch the vision and pay the price to run the race that God has set before them. I hope they will run for a crown that doesn’t fade. I hope they will live for the applause of heaven, not the applause of earth.
The Bible speaks repeatedly of the next generation and our responsibility to prepare them to walk in the purpose of God.
“…He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children” (Ps. 78:5,6)
God’s purpose and plan is to be transferred from one generation to another. It is not enough that we experience “revival” in our generation. We must transfer our spiritual passion to those who come after us. It is far too common in Scripture and history for one generation to serve God’s purpose and for the next one to reject it. We cannot afford to repeat this mistake. We must begin to think and plan long-term. We have to realize it is not about us, and how much success we can achieve. It is about those who follow us–the next generation.
There are many who, because of their eschatology of escape, vehemently deny that there will ever be another generation. They insist that the present “terminal generation” will soon be raptured, then a demonic anti-Christ will rule the world. This terminal mentality must be once and forever destroyed if we are serious about building the next generation. Child-training and disciple-making take time. What we plant today may not be reaped for many years. If we think and work long-term, then we’ll see that time is on our side. We must live for the day when, like the patriarchs of old, we will lay hands on our grandchildren and speak a prophetic blessing over their lives.
It’s more important to prepare the next generation to win gold medals than to neglect them while we pursue glory and gold. Of course, it would be great if we win and prepare them at the same time.
