QQuirky Corkboard
In the summer of 2012 Gabriella Douglas made Olympic history at the London Games, by being the first woman of color to win a gold medal for Team USA Gymnastics. After her triumphant win, she was quick to give attention to the One who gave her the grace to achieve her dreams.
" I give all the glory to God," Gabby grinned. "It's kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to Him and the blessings fall down on me."
But like every triumphant Cinderella story, Gabby had a rocky, humble beginning.
As a little baby, her father left the family, which left Gabby, her siblings and their Mom without a home, living out of their van. In later years, little Gabby loved tumbling around in the gym, and her Mother sacrificed much for her daughter to pursue her dream. Gymnastics were expensive, and her Mom struggled with living off food stamps, and even faced bankruptcy. But Gabbby had a gift. She was winning state championships at age 8!
Devoted to her dream, Gabby trained in the gym for 40 hours a week. Despite struggles at home and bullies at school, Gabby pressed on toward her burning vision. At 11-years-old she was radically inspired by watching Shawn Johnson win olympic gold...and Gabby knew she could be just as good if she had Shawn's trainer! The only problem? Shawn's coach lived 1200 miles away. When Gabby asked her Mother if she could move, it was a big fat, "No way!"
But as Gabby pressed on and remained faithful to her sport, at fourteen, Mom saw what her daughter needed to succeed. And so, with tears, she released Gabby to go train hundreds of miles from home.
Finally, the moment had arrived. Gabby was immersed in intense training during her preperation months before the Olympics.
"Gold medals are made out of sweat, blood and tears, and effort in the gym every day." Gabby said.
But for Gabby, the sweat, blood and tears become so intense that she thought she had reached her breaking point. Only seven months before the Olympics, Gabby was homesick, discouraged, and wanted to quit. She didn't think she could push herself physically or emotionally, any further.
She told her Mom that she wanted to come home, get a job at Chic-Fil-A, and just live a normal life.
But Mom said,
"I'd rather have you come home as a fighter and a winner, than as a quitter."
So Gabby stuck with it. She leaned on God for strength, and He carried her through to the finish line! Only this time, when she crossed the finish line, there was a shiny gold medal waiting for her.
Living our faith and following our dreams is just like training for the Olympics. No dream can come without pain and some sort of sacrifice. To live out our dreams, we must sacrifice short-term desires in order to obtain our long-term goals. But like the Olympians say, "You can suffer now, but you will be an Olympian for the rest of your life."
Never, ever, ever give up!
"You know, God has a plan for me, and I'm going to follow in his footsteps and just rejoice and be happy." ~Gabby Douglas