"I No Longer Dive Alone"

Did you get a little excited last night watching the Olympics?

I know I did. As I watched American tenderer platform diver,

Laura Wilkinson, I was intrigued by her persona. There was

something different about her, but it wasn't just her diving skill.

There was a radiant smile that was contagious -- how different

from the stonewalled concentration evident on the faces of

the other competitors. I thought it must just be her way of coping

uniquely with the pressure of somersaulting and twisting from a

handstand into water thirty-three feet below. Still recovering from

a broken foot that will require surgery after the Olympics, she

stunned the diving world by winning the Gold Medal.

Back to the excitement of tape delayed coverage -- I had

walked from the room in which my family was watching the

Olympics when my son, Andy, shouted, "Hey Dad, she just

quoted Philippians 4:13." At that moment I discovered the

difference between Laura and many of the other competitors.

In researching her background, I found an e-mail to the media

she had written a few weeks ago. On August 28, she wrote:

"I would always get nervous, and that's when the mistakes

came. But during the Olympic Trials, that changed. It was

'make or break' time when I got to that dive. Before I walked

on the platform, I prayed for confidence and courage, and verses

suddenly rushed into my head: 'Fear not, for I am with you.'

As I walked to the end of the platform, I was not alone, as I

said out loud, 'I want 10's.' Well, let me tell you all, I found

out that I really can do all things through Christ. I received

six 10's on that dive. I give it to God. I no longer dive alone."

Are you trying to "dive alone?" Do you attempt to face

challenges on your own strength, or do you believe

Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me."? Believe it and live it today.

Fear not, for He is with you!

by Steve Parr, Administrative Pastor

September 25, 2000