Running Life's Race: Stories of Sports and Faith for All Seasons
Olympic example
13 - TORNADO OF HOPE
Refuel:
This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God…
1 Timothy 4:9-10
In 1960 an Olympian took the world by storm, achieving the nickname ‘Tornado’ as the world’s fastest woman. She also had to overcome various storms in her life as a young child. Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely and experienced bouts of mumps, measles, chicken pox, scarlet fever, and pneumonia all before contracting polio at age four. The polio resulted in paralysis that required wearing a brace on one leg in order to walk. Due to racial segregation the local hospital declined services. Wilma’s mother took her to a hospital 50 miles away twice per week for two years for physical therapy. Rudolph was given little hope by doctors as a preschooler, but her mother’s hope did not waiver: “My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother” (Rudolph, n.d.). Gradually therapy subsided and she walked without help at age 12.
She pursued her dream of being a world-class runner and by age 16 made the 1956 Olympic team. Four years later she set records in the 100- and 200-meter dash and earned a third gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay. She was an inspiration to other athletes, elevating interest in track, particularly among girls.
Rudolph also elevated interest in civil rights. She boycotted the governor’s welcome home celebration after the Olympics, since the event would have been segregated. Thus, the parade and banquet honoring her performance were the first integrated events in Clarksville, TN. She continued her fight against segregation until laws were changed.
The hope displayed by Rudolph was admirable, given the difficulty of her circumstances and the pessimism of others. Regardless of the amount of hope displayed by an individual, however, it is more crucial IN WHOM we place our hope. The book of 1 Timothy instructs us to put our hope in the living God, and that hope is the very reason we can labor or strive in tough circumstances (1Ti 4:9-10). That hope serves as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb 6:19). The image of an anchor is a vivid reminder that the Lord does not change (Mal 3:6). Difficult times or not, place your hope in the Lord and see how he delivers.
Reflect:
What things do you sometimes place your hope in besides the Lord?
Do those things provide a source of strength?
How did the Lord’s strength help you through a tough time?
Respond:
Lord, thank you for not sheltering me from problems. Help me draw strength from you and you alone in difficult times, knowing your grace is always sufficient. I pray I can help others find hope because of the hope they see in me.
Streissguth, T. (2012). Wilma Rudolph (Rev. ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.
Rudolph, W. (n.d.). My doctors told me I would never walk again… Retrieved from http://www.azquotes.com/quote/571327