Tag: determination

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Facing fear and vulnerability

Michael Johnson, the retired American sprinter, had an outstanding athletics’ career. He won 4 Olympic gold medals and 8 World Championship gold medals. He held the world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m and the world indoor 400m record. He is the only athlete in history to win both the 200m and 400m events in the same Olympics. After retiring from athletics, he opened Michael Johnson Performance centres and became an athletics’ pundit on BBC Sport. He has always made physical fitness a top priority; eating healthily, drinking alcohol moderately, exercising regularly and watching his weight.

In early September 2018, however, he suffered a TIA – a transient ischaemic attack. He lost mobility and co-ordination in his left side and in the days after it took him 15 minutes to walk 200 metres – the same distance he often ran in under 20 seconds. Thankfully Michael has made a good recovery. He approached his rehabilitation with the same determination he approached training during his athletics’ career and after 4 months he was paddle-boarding, rowing, cycling and running.

For the first time, he experienced fear and vulnerability because neither he nor his doctors could explain why he suffered the stroke. He said, “I can’t say I’m totally comfortable being vulnerable. I’m still working through this need I have to be superman. My persona, personally and publicly, has been that I have got everything under control, and I don’t need anyone else’s help, don’t need anyone’s sympathy. I don’t like sympathy or empathy. Now I have been faced with the vulnerable position of not being able to walk. Needing help to do that and some regular normal daily activities was tough for me. But I realised that in order to get back to where I needed to be, people’s help was something I was going to need and to open up to.”

Michael’s honesty highlights the fears and vulnerability we all experience. In Psalm 56 David, who was a great military leader, said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in God.” The Apostle Paul, who was a man of great energy, suffered what he called a “thorn in the flesh”, a physical weakness with which he had to live. But God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So, Paul said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

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Thought

The inspiration of the Invictus Games

The 2017 Invictus Games are being held in Toronto. Invictus means unconquered. The Games were created by Prince Harry for former military personnel who have been wounded or injured in action as they have served their countries. Invictus is about the dedication of men and women who have confronted hardship and refused to be defined by their injuries. They and their families and friends have faced the shock of life-changing injuries and have together faced the long road to recovery.

In his opening speech, Prince Harry spoke of seeing three severely injured British soldiers while waiting to deploy to Afghanistan. He said, “The way I viewed service and sacrifice changed forever, and the direction of my life changed with it. I knew it was my responsibility to use a great platform that I have to help the world understand and be inspired by the spirit of those who wear the uniform. In the world where so many have reasons to feel cynical, and apathetic, I wanted to find a way for veterans to be a beacon of light and show us all that we have a role to play.”

He went on the speak of the impact the Games would have on those who came to watch, “I hope you are ready for some fierce competition. I hope you are ready to see the meaning of teamwork, the proof that anything is possible when we work together. I hope you are ready to see courage and determination that will inspire you to power through the challenges in your own life. I hope you are ready to see the role models in action that any parent would want their children to look up to. And I hope you’re ready to see lives changing in front of your eyes.”

The Gospel story is about love and sacrifice. Jesus is God’s Son and the King of kings. He came from heaven to earth not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. He was ready to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to redeem people like you and me. On the cross he paid the price of our sins and experienced a depth of suffering we can never fully comprehend. On the third day he rose from the dead. He is the supreme conqueror. Understanding what he did and experiencing his love is life transforming. He lifts us from our own struggles and sorrows and fills our hearts with hope.

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Omar Hassan – the importance of finishing the race

Paralympics 2012 has been a very special occasion, with many outstanding performances. From the British Team we remember those who won several medals, such as swimmer Ellie Simpson, wheel chair athlete David Weir and cyclist Sarah Storey. London 2012 was a landmark for Paralympic sport which is still developing. Many new world records were set and major television channels will show more interest in covering the Rio games in 2016!

Whilst the focus was, understandably, on winners, the performance of amputee Omar Hassan, who came last in a heat of the 1500 metres T46 category, exemplifies the spirit of the all Paralympics’ athletes. Omar was the first, and only, athlete from the tiny country of Djibouti on the Red Sea to compete in the Paralympics. Omar had trained hard for the greatest race of his life. From the moment the starter’s gun fired he strained his Achilles tendon. Many athletes with such an injury would have stopped running immediately, but Omar continued to run. Despite the great pain he was in he finished the race, finishing nearly 7 minutes behind the other athletes. The crowd gave him a continuous standing ovation and, when he finished, one of the greatest cheers of the whole Paralympics. After the race Omar pointed to his right foot and said it was “very sore.” He went on to say, “I thought of stopping, but I kept going because I wanted to finish.”

Many commentators have said that this Paralympic Games has changed the way we view disabled people. This indicates that the biggest problem is with us, not with them. It is our values that need to change. We make a fuss of the rich and famous and see them as the role models whom we should all seek to follow. Sadly, however, they are sometimes deeply flawed people. The disabled people who have competed at London 2012 have shown us that through the experience of disability they have become more complete people.

The apostle Paul suffered greatly as he faithfully served his Lord, Jesus Christ; he was beaten, imprisoned and shipwrecked. Near the end of his life he wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”