When Gabby Douglas won the gold medal for individual women’s gymnastics, the first thing she did was shift the glory:
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” These are the first words 16-year-old gymnast Gabrielle Douglas tweeted after she won the all around gold medal at the London Olympics yesterday. On the stadium floor, Douglas also told a reporter that ”the glory goes up to Him, and the blessings fall down on me.”
via Gabby Douglas Wins Gold, Gives Glory to God | Urban Faith.
It seems to me that this is not saying God made me win, as some athletes seem to, but a perfectly appropriate expression of faith at a moment of great personal joy that could easily be a celebration of one’s self. That strikes me as a valuable spiritual discipline, the ability to do that. When a person achieves something great–in sports, in a profession, in life–it is possible to respond with pride or one with gratitude.
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