It can be all too easy to take the credit for ourselves when we achieve something great in this lifetime. Hence, it is a sobering reminder that God is the one who gives -- and takes away, of course, but at the Olympic Games 2016 Rio, US divers David Boudia and Steele Johnson managed to smile and give all glory and honor to God for helping them clinch the silver medal. The gold medalists hail from China, comprising of Chen Aisen and Lin Yue, but losing to them did not prove to be a damper on their spirits.
David Boudia has long been an outspoken Christian athlete for a number of years already, and back in 2012, he mentioned to BeliefNet.com concerning his walk with Christ, as well as how such an intimate relationship with his Lord and Savior is crucial in providing him with the peace -- especially in the most pressure-filled moments, and those are many when the eyes of the world are looking in your direction, and your competitors are waiting for you to make a mistake or slip.
Boudia shared, “It’s totally freeing when I stay in tune with scripture. I don’t have to worry if I miss a dive. I go into competition and it’s like, ‘Praise God no matter what.’ If I do well, that’s awesome. I praise Him. If I don’t do well, praise Him even more. Competition looks way different now.” Boudia has since written a book titled Greater Than Gold: From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption, where you will be able to follow more on his journey as a disciple of Christ, and what Christ means to him. Surely his life echoes the words of the well loved hymn, Be Thou My Vision, where one stanza goes like this, “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always.”
Boudia's dive partner, Johnson, also identifies himself as a Christian. Johnson can also be called "competitive" in his faith as well, where he fully relies on God as his strength and his shelter. He has a powerful testimony to share on how he was close to death's door at the tender age of 12. Even at such a young age, he was already involved in diving. In one instance, he hit his head on a concrete platform, but thankfully that did not have any negative long term consequences.
That particular accident proved to be a watershed moment in his life, where the memory of the accident continues to fuel him. Johnson said concerning that particularly near fatal fall, "God kept me alive and He is still giving me the ability to do what I do."
With the Olympic Games being a platform to shine in front of the world, it is all too easy to get carried away with a podium finish, even more so when you are biting onto a gold medal. We are simply glad that Boudia and Johnson are keeping themselves grounded in humility, and may they continue to move forward and being God's salt and light in the diving world.
