Saturday, August 4, 2012

Public Love for Jesus

 I'm sure by now, almost everyone know who Gabby Douglas is.  The 16-year old, two-time gold Olympic medalist gymnast.  But that's not all she is.  And she hasn't been hiding it.  She's a believer.

 It's hard to share your faith.  Especially if it's on [inter]national television.  When Gabby won all-around gold, she publicly gave all the glory to God.  In her words, "It's a win-win situation: all glory goes up to Him, and all the blessings fall down on me."  There may be quite a few Olympians in London this year who are believers.  Maybe even some have publicly made that known -- we just haven't seen it.  But there are definitely some who don't want it known.  They don't want to be judged or to have a stereo-type placed on them.  When asked what motivates her, Gabby said meditating on Scripture -- and that the Bible was very important to her.  This young lady also said her cool-down music playlist includes Christian artist Natalie Grant.

 You can't pin point what you would say in a hypothetical situation.  But I pray and hope that I would trust in God and give Him the glory publicly and not hide what I believe.

 I watched a video of Gabby's pastor interviewing/praying over her before she left for London.  He sent her away with one of my favorite Bible passages.

"You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."   ~Matthew 5:14-16

 She certainly took that Scripture with her in her heart and mind to London.  Congratulations, Gabby, for winning Gold at the Olympics, but most importantly, for unashamedly glorifying our Lord and shining your light for Him.

This week month I'm thankful for... (since I haven't done this in forever, these are going to be from the past month or two):

261. seeing God work in very evident ways
262. having the privilege of staying with my grandpa for a few days
263. God providing me with jobs
264. having the opportunity to co-teach Sunday school this fall
265. rainy days
266. a warm bed
267. air-conditioning
268. my new laptop
269. friends who I get to meet in 3 weeks!  eeek!! :-D
270. getting post cards and letters
271. four Bible verses of the day all surrounding one topic
272. swimming on hot days
273. Toby Mac's new song, Me Without You
274. watching the Olympics
275. shopping with my mom
276. planning this LIVE year
277. comfy socks
278. random discounts at stores
279. shopping with my sister
280. going to the movies with my brother

Love,
  Sierra

1 comment:

  1. It is great that she has been bravely sharing her faith, and that word about it has been spreading! I'm glad she won gold! I know I'm never brave about speaking openly about my faith, and it's not going national!

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