Thoughts: Laura Wilkinson was not expected to win anything at the 2000 Olympics in platform diving. Three of the people closest to her died within a year. This was similar to the state Joshua was in. He was grieving over the loss of his friend, Moses, but had to face a tremendous challenge anyway. She injured her foot six months before the Olympics and could not practice. The 10 meter dive is nerve racking. It scares many. Laura calls the dive "a leap of faith." You go into the water at about 35 miles per hour and you can easily injure a shoulder or a joint. Laura was the first woman to do a handstand before the dive, which shows a great deal of courage. In her first dive in 2000 she was in a horrible position: eighth place and with a broken foot. Against all odds and expectations, she ended up with the first U.S. Gold in platform diving since 1964. Laura is a person who openly believes in Jesus as her source of courage and joy. She speaks of choosing joy regularly to the Revolve Christian Conference. She is one of the commentators for the Rio games.
What is courage? It is facing up to hardship with strength and grace. It is possible that evil people have courage. Courage is not in itself good. The hijackers at 911 had courage. It takes courage for people who do wrong to continue to do wrong. But godly courage is a different thing altogether. It is a combination of a fear of God that overcomes a fear of humans or a fear of circumstances.
Prayer: Lord, give me courage to overcome my grief, my regrets, my sins by the blood and grace of Jesus Christ.
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