I just read the most amazing Olympic story, and since the Beijing Olympics begin tomorrow, I thought it fitting to share.Josia Thugwane won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the most grueling of Olympic events. When he crossed the finish line, he became the first black South African to win an Olympic gold medal. But here's where his story becomes even more amazing:
At the time of his gold medal win, Josia still could not read or write. He lived in a tin shack in a Mpumulanga township, and cleaned toilets for a living at a coal mine. Five months before he competed in the Olympics, he was shot in the face during a carjacking.
Stop with me and weep for a moment, at the resilience of the human spirit, the hope of glory and redemption by a God who can make sense of it all. This guy didn't let anything get in his way. He never took his eye off the goal. May it be said of us as well, whatever our calling may be.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus...." - Hebrews 12:1-2
1 comment:
Suffering through 26 miles is nothing compared to what he already overcame. He is exactly what endurance sports are all about: who can "out-suffer" whom.
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