Do you remember when Steven Bradbury won Australia’s only Olympic gold medal for ice-skating? The one thing that stands out about him is persistence. In an earlier competition he cut his leg and almost bled to death. Then he broke his neck while training. Doctors told him that if he skated again he risked paralysis. But he staged a comeback in time for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. We remember his victory because he won it after the other competitors all fell down just before the finish and he skated from last to first in a split second.
Steven Bradbury reminds me of Jesus’ saying ‘But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Only Jesus was talking about the race that is life itself. In that race it’s not the most talented who win, but those with determination, persistence and faith.