Terry Paul Choyce
March 30, 2008, Brunswick Street United Church
In George Kohlrieser's book Hostage at the Table there is a true story of Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph. She was the twentieth of twenty-two children, born into a poor black family in Tennessee in 1940. She weighed only 4.5 lbs when she was born, prematurely. She was a very sickly child, catching every disease that came into their huge household, including polio.
When she was 4 her left leg and foot became weak and deformed. Doctors said she would never walk normally. Her parents refused to accept that. For two years her mother took her to a hospital 50 miles away, twice a week for treatment. The whole family helped her with physiotherapy exercises, and for years she wore a metal brace. By age 12 she was walking normally, and playing basketball.
Wilma became a basketball star in high school and set records for scoring. Her team won a state championship. Then a track coach asked her to start running on the track team.In 1956 she ran so well that she qualified for the Olympics in Australia. She was 16 when she won a bronze medal in the women's 400 metre relay.
In 1960 she went to the Olympic games in Rome. She won two gold medals in the 100 and the 200 metre races. Then she sprained her ankle. She refused to stop, and she helped her team win the 400 metre relay. Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to earn 3 Olympic gold medals.
Kohlrieser wrote "Wilma thought God had a greater purpose for her than winning three gold medals." (Page 205) I googled her and found out that she went on to be a track coach, she married her high school boyfriend and had 4 children, and she won many honours for her athletic achievement.
There were other honors as well. In 1963 she was selected to represent the U. S. State Department as a Goodwill Ambassador at the Games of Friendship in Dakar, Senegal. Later that year she was invited by Dr. Billy Graham to join the Baptist Christian Athletes in Japan.
There was one "first" accomplishment that was more special than any of the others, however. Wilma insisted that her homecoming parade in Clarksville, Tennessee be open to everyone and not a segregated event as was the usual custom. Her victory parade was the first racially integrated event ever held in the town. And that night, the banquet the townspeople held in her honor, was the first time in Clarksville's history that blacks and whites had ever gathered together for the same event. She went on to participate in protests in the city until the segregation laws were struck down.
She was invited to be the guest speaker at dozens of schools and universities. She also went into broadcasting and became a sports commentator on national television and the co-host of a network radio show. In 1967 Vice-President Hubert Humphrey invited Wilma to participate in "Operation Champ," an athletic outreach program for underprivileged youth in the ghettoes of 16 major cities. She started her own non-profit organization, The Wilma Rudolph Foundation, to continue this kind of work. The foundation provided free coaching in a variety of sports, and academic assistance and support as well.
In 1977 she wrote her autobiography, simply titled, "Wilma." It was adapted as a television movie and Wilma worked on it as a consultant. She died in 1994 of brain cancer.
I chose this story today to show you what a family and a person can achieve despite all the odds being against them. Wilma proved that with loving support, faith, dedication, courage, and persistence any obstacle can be overcome. She and her parents were shining examples of resilient people, who did not let adversity defeat them.
Jesus's disciples were also very resilient. Even after their beloved leader was brutally killed by the ruling government and the Jewish rabbis, they went on to spread the message of the love of God and Jesus. Yes, they did have their time of retreat and doubt. That is only natural. All of us must take some healing time when we have been physically, emotionally, or spiritually hurt. Jesus appeared to them during this time, and encouraged them to talk to others about what they knew about God and the life of Jesus. And they did regain their strength and faith, reached out to the world.
Our reading from Acts today took place not long after the death of Jesus. It was about Peter and John, who healed a lame man with the power given to them by God. This man had been a cripple his whole life, but when Peter ordered him to stand in the name of Jesus, the man walked. (Acts 3:1-12).
Our reading from the Old Testament was about Daniel, and how his faith kept him safe when he was in the den with the lions. (Daniel 6:16-28) Daniel had done nothing wrong and he was actually a friend of the king, yet he was thrown to the lions to die. He did not give up. He spent the night praying to God. The next morning he was released. King Darius said of Daniel's God: "He saves and rescues, he performs wonders and miracles in heaven and earth." Daniel's faith, courage, and resiliency saved him.
The book Hostage at the Table has a list of ten ways that a person can become more resilient and bounce back for problems better. (P.89)
1.) Create strong,caring relationships with others.
2.) When problems come, figure out solutions instead of seeing your problems as insurmountable.
3.) Have realistic goals and take small steps toward them every day.
4.) Accept that change is a part of life, and change can lead to growth, happiness, and success.
5.) Don't delay too long before you make decisions.
6.) See adversity as a time to learn and evolve spiritually and emotionally.
7.) Develop self-confidence and courage in tackling all your challenges.
8.) Keep problems in perspective and don't "awfulize" everything.
9.) Stay hopeful and focus on the positive.
10.) Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I would add one more important element to this list, and that is to have a strong faith in God. With God you are never alone, and you never have to go through life's challenges without amazing support. Each of us is connected to incredible divine power. If you believe this and use this, your spiritual strength and love can get you through everything.
I am not saying that your life will be easy if you love God. The Bible is full of stories of horrible tragedies that befell Jesus, the prophets, and the disciples. To be human is to encounter all kinds of troubles in our lives. It is how we handle those bad situations that makes the difference to our overall happiness. Do we let adversity defeat us, or do we rise above our problems and remain loving, compassionate, God-centred people?
Jesus wants us to rise, just as he did. Against all of the negative odds in your life, God wants you to stand strong. Like Wilma Rudolph, run the good race and don't let anything keep you down.
©Terry Paul Choyce. Used with permission from the author.
