Hard days are best.

Have you ever known someone who seems gifted in every way? Everything comes easy for him. He's good looking, does well in school, athletic, good with people, & the list continues. Nothing is hard for this individual. He's genuinely nice & well liked, maybe even popular. From the outside at least, it looks like he has everything together.

Contrast this gifted individual with the person who seems to have a few strikes against her from the start. She wishes she had a best friend or even just a friend. Her self-esteem is low. There's many things about her appearance she wishes she could change. School is hard, & her grades are not good. She has no extracurricular life because her family cannot afford it. From the outside, her life looks pitiful, & it is.

Maybe you've met the person who has gifts but doesn't recognize them. This person drifts along in life, putting very little into it, & getting nothing in return. When this individual sings a song, it has no meaning. Dances have no soul. Friendships are stagnant. Gratefulness does not exist. Life is just plain dull.

As I've watched the Olympics this year, I have enjoyed the different personalities. These young athletes have sacrificed so much of their teenage life for their sport. Of course, there are no guarantees. No body can foresee what toll their nerves will take on them, especially if it is their first Olympics. Some  of the athletes sustain injuries that interfere with their best performance. Some suffer illnesses at seemingly the worst possible time. All of these athletes probably have struggles going on in their lives unrelated to their sport. Who knows what difficulties they face as they step up to compete.

It caught my ear when Gabby Douglas received her final score in the overall competition. This beautiful spirited lil athlete caught my eye from the start. She's paid a dear price to be where she is today, not knowing if there would be a pay off. When her good news came, she responded saying, "All the glory goes up to God, & the blessings fall down on me." Then she added... "Hard days are best, because that's when champions are made."

I was as flabbergasted by her words as I was her talent. Such wisdom for a sixteen year old! It's taken me a life time to learn these lessons, & these words spewed from her mouth as if they were second nature. She's only seventeen. How can she have such wisdom? She knows what some people fail to grasp their whole life. I don't know if her wisdom comes from the price she's paid to win her gold, or if she is as gifted spiritually as she is athletically. Whatever the case, it's clear that her head & her heart agree. I'm in awe of this young athlete for so many reasons.