Anybody who trains for the Olympics hopes to win a medal. The whole point of athletes going through rigorous training for years is to become the best and show the world they are the BEST at what they do.
But there are times when there are more important things in one’s life than medals.
Steele Johnson, an Olympic diver, suffered a terrible injury when he was just 12 years old. He was doing a triple reverse somersault off a 30 meter platform. Unfortunately, he struck his head on the platform, and fell over 30 meters to the water where he landed in the water – on his head.
Johnson defines his life by his faith. Listen to him tell the story about his accident:
To this day, he suffers from memory loss and doesn’t like talking about the incident. For him, it’s all about being able to continue to serve God:
“It’s cool because this is exciting, this is fun, but this is not what my identity will be for the rest of my life,” he said. “Yeah, I’m Steele Johnson the Olympian, but at the same time, I’m here to love and serve Christ. My identity is rooted in Christ, not in the flips we’re doing.”
Better yet, his diving partner (in synchronized diving), David Boudia, is also a devout Christian. This is what he had to say after winning a gold medal in London in 2012:
“I am not a diving coach who happens to be a Christian,” he said. “But rather I am a Christian, follower of Christ, who happens to be a diving coach.”
After winning silver, the two talked about their faith in God and why it is so important to them:
WOW. Powerful stuff. Let this be an inspiration and a reminder of what is really important in life!
Share to CELEBRATE Steele and David’s Silver Medal and their DEVOTION to God!
H/T: FaithIt
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