Shouldn’t We All Be Olympians?
I am an avid fan of the Olympics — the athletes’ sacrificial commitment to their sport, stories of discipline, reaching goals and dreams they worked long and hard for.
It is a big deal to be an Olympian and achieve their dreams of competing, but to have the medal-winning glory is the reward for all those untold hours of training. For friends of ours, Dave and Pat Gibson, it is an especially significant achievement for their daughter, Alison Gibson.
Alison spoke to our Lamplighters Bible Fellowship group a couple of Sundays ago, and we had the opportunity as a group to pray for her. She will soon fly to Paris for the competitions. What blesses us, more than Alison’s obvious talents, is her commitment to pleasing God in the process.
Alison recognizes that sports are so much more than winning. She shared: “God took us on an incredible journey of growth and discovery and that is what all of this is about. The Olympics is a proof point that you are good, but the journey and the dedication and the daily work is what makes you who you are.”
Alison continues: “The Olympics is a resume builder, but the journey is what truly shapes you. After competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, I felt shattered. It was one of those competitions that made me want to curl up in a ball and disappear. It was easier to retire than to face the prospect of failure on an international stage again. So that is what I did.
I retired, wrote my master’s thesis, graduated with my master’s degree, and got a job at a fantastic company doing thought-provoking work. I was happy, finally getting to experience what it was like to be a normal adult.” But….God!
In June of last year, everything changed. A plethora of people from the diving world reached out to me, calling me back into my sport to pursue the Paris 2024 Olympics. At first, I laughed it off, but those calls planted a spark that grew.
After two weeks of prayer and two weeks of talking to my life mentors, I decided to take the leap of faith and return to diving. My parents supported me. My company supported me. And my coach welcomed me back with open arms.
But with this decision, I had to face many demons from my past that still haunted me. I would have to compete again, I would have to sacrifice time, money, energy, and freedom, and I would have to face old fears and new fears.
I competed for the first time since the Olympics on Friday, Dec. 1st, and won a USA National Championship title for the event I competed in – in the Olympics. I went on to win another USA National title the next day in another event. I faced my demons and competed again. It was so rewarding.
I could not have done it without the grace of God and the support of my parents, coworkers, coaches, teammates, and friends. My philosophy is this: if you feel truly called to do something, you must pursue it no matter how hard or scary it may be.”
Alison has earned an Olympic diving spot. She remarked: “All glory to God,” expressing her gratitude for this incredible achievement.
Doesn’t Alison’s story encourage us to push aside our fears and demons that bombard our minds and step it up until we are taken up?
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:15