With fewer than 100 days to the Olympic Games in London, the memories come tumbling back. Elite gymnast Dominique Dawes knows how it feels to stand on the highest podium with gold around her neck. And she knows how one misstep in an exacting sport means going home early.
During her career in artistic gymnastics she became the only American to medal in an unprecedented three Olympics, and she was the first African American to win both an individual medal and an Olympic team gold.
For nearly 20 years, structured sacrifice and singular dedication kept Dawes intensely focused on her goals. Even during the unique spectacle of the Olympic experience, she stayed outside of the Olympic Village, skipped Opening and Closing Ceremonies altogether and ignored the attractions of new countries.
But now in her 30s, Dawes' perspective is wider. And looking back, the thing she notices throughout her journey is the hand of God.
When Dawes was 6 years old, her parents unceremoniously signed her up for a tumbling class. But boasting only two students -- Dawes and her sister -- the class was canceled. At the same time they heard of another gym, farther away. The longer drive took her to the coach whose voice she would listen to for the next 18 years.
With the clarity of hindsight, Dawes views the coincidences and curiosities as divinely intentional. "My mother had no interest in sports. And my dad knew nothing about gymnastics, and it [seemed] really by chance that I ended up signing up. I really do think it was definitely God's hands that made this happen."
To young Dawes, the gym was a sanctuary. Reserved at school where her small size and squeaky voice made her crawl into a shell, in gymnastics she fit right in. "It was an environment where I felt very comfortable," she admits. "I really just felt like I belonged."
With her God-given gifts and with God-given timing, Dawes represented the United States in 1992, 1996 and 2000. Athletes know her longevity is highly unusual, especially in a sport where extreme physical demands make the window for competition exceptionally small.
Praised as an African-American pioneer in a sport traditionally dominated by Caucasians, Dawes stood on the podium as part of teams that better characterized the diverse country they represented.
Today, Dawes acknowledges that she could not have followed her sustained, ground-breaking path any better than if she'd been led by the hand. "I have no other gift in any other sport. I've tried other things -- been horrible," she says candidly. "The Lord blessed me with these talents and opened that door for me to flourish in gymnastics."
But when her gymnastics journey was over, Dawes had to turn a corner. This time she looked for His hand to lead her.
Praying and reading His Word, Dawes discovered a passion she hadn't yet recognized. Surprising even to her, the girl who stayed in her shell at school started reaching out to inspire others.
She partnered with the Girl Scouts of America to encourage healthy self-esteem. Because even as medals hung around her neck, Dawes endured the thorn of paralyzing self-doubt. In a world of elite gymnastics, excellent is hardly good enough and fractions of a point are the difference between the top of the leaderboard and the bottom. A young audience didn't have to face a panel of international judges to come away encouraged by Dawes' specific struggle.
Dawes also served as the youngest president for the Women's Sports Foundation to encourage confidence through fitness. And she took on other projects to support health and activity for the young, old and especially challenged.
In 2010 another divine opportunity came her way. The White House invited Dawes to co-chair the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition along with Super Bowl champion quarterback Drew Brees. Dawes was thrilled to offer her passion, leadership and God-given gifts to the cause.
"I really think that God placed me in the gymnastics arena because that was my passion," she says, "but my purpose is to inspire people with that passion."
In July Dawes will go to London to experience the Olympics as a spectator. Although she can keenly relate to the athlete's focus, she understands that the journey stretches far beyond a five-second race or 90-second routine. Armed with a broader perspective, Dawes enjoys seeing that God is in the journey.
Dominique Dawes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 1 | United States | 46 | 29 | 29 |
| 2 | China | 38 | 27 | 23 |
| 3 | Russia | 24 | 26 | 32 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 29 | 17 | 19 |
| 5 | Germany | 11 | 19 | 14 |
| 6 | Japan | 7 | 14 | 17 |
“The Lord blessed me with these talents”, she has the insolence to say. So, did the Lord “bless” other children with cleft lip or paralysis of a hand or foot, to make them happy too?
She goes on to suggest that, “With the clarity of hindsight, Dawes views the coincidences and curiosities as divinely intentional”.
Who does she think she is? Why would an all-mighty, all-loving god, bless her and traumatize some other child; Is she more deserving? Is her god a biased one? Does he choose who is to win in a race or a war, and if so, on what criteria?
This kind of conceit makes me enraged.
And, one more thing...Evolution is a fact. :-)
Being a good athlete has more to do with genetics than faith, though a strong belief in outcomes is necessary. Blacks don't make great swimmers due to heavier bones than whites; whites don't make great sprinters due to a smaller achilles tendon: Whites swim and blacks run, as their genes dictate.
Athletes know God cares very little about sports, but it does get his attention when an athlete thanks him for the genes and the opportunity.
1Cor.9:24 speaks of runners in a race, and that only one will win; all are instructed to run.
As a child the will to be one's best, the effort, sacrifices, commitment, and the faith in becoming the best for a future moment is not for the faint of heart. That development will transcend to adulthood and other aspirations, including Christianity.
Failure is a temporary outcome; most people find some force/power to lead them to persevere and, ultimately, succeed. Deformity, disease, and disaster are also events or occurrences which also give us the opportunity to respond and overcome. Whether each of us musters that power and does so is the question. Ms. Dawes finds that internal power/grace to be in God. That's all.
Do you have any evidence of that ridiculous statement? What you mean is that for SOME people, failure is temporary and they have the fortitude to overcome it. I hate to capitalise but in this case there does need to be emphasis on “some.” The world is full of all kinds of failure with no hope of recovery.
“Deformity, disease, and disaster are also events or occurrences which also give us the opportunity to respond and overcome.”
There are many cases of disabled and diseased people who respond and overcome, but there are millions who are unable to do so. For example, the 27 million children who die on this planet every year from disease, malnutrition, drought and disaster.
You can’t attribute only the positive and good things to God without blaming him for the negative things. You are typical of apologists making illogical assertions to defend a monster who, if he exists, tortures countless innocent people to death or allows them to suffer from dreadful illnesses.
“Ms.Dawes finds that internal power/grace to be in God.”
She may well in her own self deluding brain, but she goes a step further by attributing her success directly to God. Why would a good, merciful and caring God intervene with one sportsperson over another? Only a God of trivia, like the one who helps you pass an exam or find your car keys.
Did your sister attribute any success to God?
You ignore the fact that God committed and sanctioned many wicked and iniquitous atrocities. Read Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Joshua, plus a few others:
PS 137: 9 "Happy will be the man who dashes your little ones against the stones." Death.
DT 20:13-14 "When the Lord delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the males .... As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves." Death.
JG 11:29-39 Jephthah sacrifices his beloved daughter, his only child, according to a vow he has made with the Lord. Death.
These plus many, many more.
Throughout these posts, you appear to use scripture as evidence. This is weak proposition and proves nothing. The scripture you use is obviously what you consider to be positive and of value, therefore supporting the points you want to make. That being the case, you cannot ignore the negative, cruel, murderous and hateful verses which typify the OT.
If you believe some of the scripture then you must believe it all. Why don't you make some attempt to join in the dialogue instead of continually quoting the zealous outpourings of primitive tribesmen?
If I could ask her one question it would probably be if she used a mantra when competing. For me ( football player ), my mantra was " Remain focused. Resist distraction ". And I would silently repeat it to myself dozens and dozens of times....
Maybe she'll recognize when she's a little older and wiser that that's how life works. You turn a corner instead of going straight, you say no instead of yes, and the consequences of such little acts are like ripples in a pond. It's not God, it's just the way it is. I can point to many instances in my life where an action ended being a catalyst for life changing events. As Frank would say, that's life.
But to us there is but ONE GOD, The Father, of whom are all things, and we in HIM; and ONE LORD JESUS CHRIST, by whom are all things, and we by HIM" l Corinthians 8:4-5. Life.
The thing about this article that felt weird was that it was written in a tone that felt like it was trying to disguise opinion for journalism. The faith of the author is clearly evident in the way that she refers to God, and "H"is hand. Nothing wrong with the author also being a person of faith, but I almost wish she had made that more clear. Be overt in your position, and I think readers will be more respectful of your position, and less suspicious of your motives. It's probably a sad indictment of our hyperbole obsessed culture that you almost have to be "loud" about your opinions so that people don't suspect you are trying to be subversive. Just my opinion.
But, you must please Him and you Must believe that He is a Rewarder. You Must also believe that His son came to save you from something He invented to trap you. Other then that, He has no conditions what so ever.
And, though He loves you, if you don't meet these conditions (I mean suggestions), He will make your life (and your after-life) a real Hell.
By the way, just what is a sin? Well we are told that it is a breach of the laws (rules) of this loving god. But, if there was no god? Well there would be no laws to breach. And, guess what? There would be no sin, for there would be no laws to breach. So when people tell you that you need a god to save you from sin, tell them that are are no laws because there probably is no god.