It has been a while since I have actually sat down and blogged about anything and I thought it was time to catch everyone up.
My message for the day comes straight from the 5K in the 2016 Rio Olympics. I'm sure many of you saw the now viral collision between America's Abbey D'Agostino and New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin during the first eight laps of the 5K semi-finals. This collision left D'Agostino with a torn ACL and Meniscus and Hamblin going on to compete in the 5K finals. But this collision didn't stop them. The two women helped each other up, and continued on to finish the race.
Being a distance runner myself I understand the turmoil that comes with running any distance race, whether it be 1500 meters, a marathon, or any distance in between. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be to run at top speeds with a torn ACL and Meniscus. This act of courage and resilience truly spoke to my heart. Not only was it inspiring to me, it reminded me a little of my own story.
This past track season I dealt with an acute injury to my IT (illiotibial) band. My injury wasn't really a season stopper but boy did it hurt. I took a few weeks off to rest it up for the conference championships which took place in April of this year. Coach had put me in both the 10K and the 5K race and I was determined to run both. About 10 laps into the 10K, which consists of 25 total laps, my IT band began irritating me and began causing me pain. I would not stop for anything. I had my heart set on finishing for my team and giving it my all. Eventually I finished my race and I finished at just under an hour.
This is where our two stories collide; Just as I had been determined to finish my race, Abbey felt that same determination. Of course her injury was much worse than mine but her heart was just the same. Perhaps she and I share a certain level of insanity that only an endurance athlete will understand, or perhaps she and I share this will power to finish what we start, but to Abbey it was so much more than that. In a recent interview she was asked about the collision in which she stated, "I think that the qualities that people see as heroic and altruistic, those come from God, I’m glad he’s chosen me to be an instrument of that and react that way in that moment," which got me thinking about my own racing experience. What would have happened had I given up? What would have happened if I let an acute injury get the best of me both mentally AND physically? According to Abbey's statement it would've been me denying the gifts God had given me. God gave me the gift of perseverance, God gave me the gift of strong will, and God gave me the heart I needed to finish that race . It was in that moment that I shared those qualities with the rest of our conference. Qualities that not only apply to a race but could stand as a metaphor for life. These heroic qualities, "Olympic Spirit," you could say, need to be shared, and what a blessing it is to be the vessel in which God shares it.
If God gives you a gift or quality that may be beneficial to someone else, or would otherwise inspire them, do not deny people of that. God may be using you and your talents to show someone that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and a finish line to be reached. Regardless of your pains in life you must overcome them and push on through because God has a reason for everything and will use you in ways you may never understand. Share your God given qualities with the world and the world will repay you as you begin inspiring those around you. God used Abbey to inspire me and used myself to inspire others around me. It is when you share these qualities that you realize what it means to be a true champion, and a child of God.
