I remember.
It was one of our annual scrimmages of camp and I was standing atop scorching turf and painted lines, in view of John Iwaniec running the football for the first time. And I, a freshman also, could only marvel. He wasn't impressive in terms of stature or sturdiness, but he ran as if he was. And when he shifted, his entire frame would turn with one complete movement and he’d grunt involuntary, as if he was physically worn and something else was forcing him to move.
The offense was scrimmaging against the defense, and I can recall the countless number of defenders in pursuit, yet somehow, he maneuvered them. When someone finally managed to wrap their arms around him, he’d only run harder as his legs never stopped churning. He ran with swift, unbowed motion. I was impressed, as were we all.
After the scrimmage I was sitting at my locker when he walked by and I asked him how he ran the way he did. But he just shrugged and smiled, ineptly, as if I posed a rhetorical question.That was the first time I ever spoke to John, whom I now consider to be one of my best friends.
When we were freshmen, I did not realize. I could not understand how someone could sustain such a matchless level of intensity. However, the more and more I got to know him, the more I understood. No matter what he did, he always wanted to win. And it wasn't just him being competitive, it was a lifestyle he lived. He didn't just conjure up some notion of victory, or dream of success. He worked continually, without ever looking back. Nevertheless, he carried with him an intangible, which was his passion to be greater – and for what? For Christ, I now know.
Moreover, even if he was the best his passion wouldn't cease, because for John, Christ is the pinnacle. He knows that the furtherance of himself is good, yet also futile. When I consider this, I think of what the great Apostle Paul once said: “If I fought wild beast in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained?"
John, himself, seeing that God is limitless, is able to see past all that limits him. Every season he has improved and I'm sure this next one will be no different. For there is still another cause, another claim, another chance to be better than before.
