Update: Kerri Sturg was the one who injured herself.
I was in a hotel exercise room the other day for my morning wake-up session. I have my aches and pains just like everyone else, and I am not averse to throwing a couple of complaints out here and there; sometimes, it’s okay to complain. I walked into the room at around 5:30am, figuring I would be alone, but there was already someone furiously working out on the treadmill. As I set up the weights and the bench, I took a look at the guy. He was much older than I am and had braces on both legs. He looked like he had MS and was hanging on to the front of the treadmill for dear life, almost to the point of being out of control. I went to get a towel, which was right next to where he was, and saw his cane resting on top of the pile. He was in beast mode.
This week I have also been watching the Olympics, a spectacle that I have never missed. It was the only sporting event we watched when I was a child; the artistry fascinated my anti-sports parents as no other athletic event could. These finely tuned athletes are the elite and have become even more so over the years. I watched Simone Biles do a couple of vaults that would have caused me to end up in the hospital, and she did them on one foot. Her leg is so badly injured that she limps. It reminded me of Mary Lou Retton 40 years ago; she was in so much pain that her coach had to carry her. She won the all-around gold and two silver medals that year. She was a beast.
We all have our struggles; some are obvious, but many are hidden. These struggles might be physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, or psychological; it doesn’t really matter because they all can bring us pain and suffering. Against all odds, we keep going. I know a lot of you who are reading this – you, like Mary Lou, are also beasts. When things seem to be too much, you keep on swimming. When the struggle doesn’t seem worth it, you scream into the storm. It doesn’t matter why we are hurting; what matters is how we address it. Some, we need to acknowledge, decide they can’t fight anymore. We mourn for them as well.
It is the will to survive and the struggle against the odds that makes us stronger, even when we feel like we are losing. The ability to move on to the next event when we completely blew the previous one. The ability to get up, strap on those braces, walk with that cane, and hang onto the treadmill like your life depends on it – because it probably does – is an act of bravery. We all have our problems – we have all had our losses – and we all have choices. Keep on fighting until you can’t fight anymore, then give yourself some grace. You are a beast.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for the ways You have given us the freedom to fight against the odds. Life can be hard, but You have given us ways to come out on top. Amen.