Last Sunday, I saw a video of a man who did something incredible. Something that brought me to tears. I watched Derek Redmond, runner for Great Britain in the 400-yard dash during the 1992, tear his hamstring. It was brutal. He fell to the ground clutching the back of his leg and crying in absolute pain. You could see his heart break in the video. Doctors rushed to him, trying to help. But then he did something truly amazing. He got back up and hobbled towards the finish line. He ran, limping to finish his race.
Now I was crying just seeing that, knowing that he was in agony, yet seeing his spirit rise undaunted, driving him to finish. It's a very powerful image. But, yet again there was another surprise, one that had me bawling quietly, so as not to disturb my sleeping roommates.
As Derek came hopping around the bend, his father, Jim Redmond, came out. He pushed his way onto the track, past security, and ran up to his son, putting his arm around him in support. He told Derek he didn't have to finish the race, But Derek refused to quit. Then his father told him, "We'll finish this together."
I have to admit that I have felt like this. Like I am struggling to finish a race while I'm practically incapacitated. Actually, it was how I felt last year, last February. And God gave me a friend, someone who put his arm around me and supported me. So when I saw the video, I cried. A lot.
And FYI, for those of you who don't know, that's a BIG deal. I don't cry. I could watch the saddest movie and not cry. And it's not because I don't want to. I do. But for some reason, I don't cry very easily. So this had me bawling when I saw it. Yeah, it was huge for me.
But something else I realized while I was watching the video, which also contributed to my pathetic appearance, was that God was also like Jim. He pushes past everything that stands in between us and Him and comes to help us in our greatest need, supporting us like Jim supported Derek. Maybe even carrying us past the finish line.
That picture of God blew me away. I know the old poem, "Footprints" and have heard it often enough to become immune to its message, unfortunately. But watching this, seeing this message lived out astounded me.
God is so absolutely amazing, my friends, he makes me speechless! And I'm Irish and a writer. Writers are known to be verbose and the Irish...well, we're known for being full o' hot air, as it were. For me to be rendered speechless is saying something. But it's something God's really good at doing.
So, please know whenever you're struggling with something, and it honestly makes you wonder if you can go on, remember: God loves you and is there waiting to help you.
Holy is He And most worthy of praise.
P.S. Here's a link to the video of Derek Redmond's run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-NAum8kY8 The song is good too, but it's the images you need to see.
Now I was crying just seeing that, knowing that he was in agony, yet seeing his spirit rise undaunted, driving him to finish. It's a very powerful image. But, yet again there was another surprise, one that had me bawling quietly, so as not to disturb my sleeping roommates.
As Derek came hopping around the bend, his father, Jim Redmond, came out. He pushed his way onto the track, past security, and ran up to his son, putting his arm around him in support. He told Derek he didn't have to finish the race, But Derek refused to quit. Then his father told him, "We'll finish this together."
I have to admit that I have felt like this. Like I am struggling to finish a race while I'm practically incapacitated. Actually, it was how I felt last year, last February. And God gave me a friend, someone who put his arm around me and supported me. So when I saw the video, I cried. A lot.
And FYI, for those of you who don't know, that's a BIG deal. I don't cry. I could watch the saddest movie and not cry. And it's not because I don't want to. I do. But for some reason, I don't cry very easily. So this had me bawling when I saw it. Yeah, it was huge for me.
But something else I realized while I was watching the video, which also contributed to my pathetic appearance, was that God was also like Jim. He pushes past everything that stands in between us and Him and comes to help us in our greatest need, supporting us like Jim supported Derek. Maybe even carrying us past the finish line.
That picture of God blew me away. I know the old poem, "Footprints" and have heard it often enough to become immune to its message, unfortunately. But watching this, seeing this message lived out astounded me.
God is so absolutely amazing, my friends, he makes me speechless! And I'm Irish and a writer. Writers are known to be verbose and the Irish...well, we're known for being full o' hot air, as it were. For me to be rendered speechless is saying something. But it's something God's really good at doing.
So, please know whenever you're struggling with something, and it honestly makes you wonder if you can go on, remember: God loves you and is there waiting to help you.
Holy is He And most worthy of praise.
P.S. Here's a link to the video of Derek Redmond's run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-NAum8kY8 The song is good too, but it's the images you need to see.
I love your honesty in these blogs, and I wish I had your courage to share things like this I've learned. I'll definitely keep reading on.
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