Gracing The World’s Stage

In spite of the various controversies which surrounded this year’s Summer Olympics before and during the events, there have been a lot more positive stories that came out of Rio. And one of those things was that despite great odds, God’s grace always shined through.

And how cool was it that many of the athletes this year were unashamed to speak up about their faith and belief in Jesus Christ! These athletes were decorated in not just gold, but in God’s glory. The Today Show would usually interview these athletes following an event to get their reactions to winning gold or dealing with a challenge, difficulty, etc. It was refreshing to see some of these athletes not just count their accomplishments, but count their blessings as well.

Now even though the original Olympic games were organized tributes to the Greek gods of the ancient world, these modern Olympics we have become accustomed to have transitioned into a stage for our God to display His awesome power through so many incredibly talented athletes.

Here are just a handful that I took note of recently. And these aren’t just the only ones. God was hard at work in many gifted men and women this year!

American Christian Athletes Who Put God Before Gold

I was just watching the Olympics when Simone Manuel clinched gold in the women’s 100 meter freestyle. She become the very first black woman to win an individual swimming gold for the USA. Immediately after, one of the newspeople covering the event asked for her reaction. Her first sentence—“All glory goes to God.”

In addition to Simone, there are a lot more American athletes competing in this year’s Summer Games who aren’t ashamed of their belief in Jesus Christ. Reposted below are excerpts from an article by Christianity Today. And be sure to check out one of my earlier posts to learn about some more inspired international athletes competing in Rio too.

10 Christian Olympic Athletes

The Olympic games—where we can become inspired by those who fought off adversity, who dedicated their whole lives to intense training, who pushed the boundaries of normal human beings—all to become these courageous athletes who shine on a global stage and represent their countries.

I love the Olympics because there is always a few stories that stand out. Whenever I watch them, I become motivated to continue my own journey in life. Here are 10 Christian athletes to look out for at this year’s Summer Games in Rio. I hope you might become inspired by them too. Reposted below are excerpts from the article by Christianity Today…