“Success is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome.”

–Booker T. Washington

I have a confession to make. I cheated. Rather than watch the Olympics, I read about the events and watched on You Tube the performances that peaked my interest. Sort of a Cliff Notes version of the two-week-long spectacle that, for me, has too many advertisements, hype, and glitter to sit through.

I lost interest in the Olympics when professional athletes were allowed to compete. Now, of course, even the amateurs are sponsored and paid, as achieving excellence in their sport requires full-time commitment.

I’m also not a fan of the International Olympic Committee. It and other organizations, like the PGA, the NFL, and MLB, get in the way of the athletes’ feats. At least for me, I have to look past these outfits in order to enjoy the sports.

But there were Olympic performances to be celebrated. To mention a few:
• Katie Ledecky, who practically swims not just in a lane of her own, but a pool of her own, as she overpowers and outdistances her competitors.

• Simone Biles, who fought her demons a few years ago and made it back to the top of her sport. The view from the mountaintop is so much sweeter when one has languished in the valley.

• Noah Lyles, the joyful and amped U.S. runner who beat Kishane Thompson by a nose hair to win the 100-meter dash.

• Leon Marchand, the French swimmer and heartthrob who won four gold medals and gave an entire home-field nation cause to celebrate.

• Stephen Nedoroscik, the nerdy “Clark Kent” who changed out of his glasses and street clothes and into his gym uniform to perform spectacularly on the pommel horse and secure a medal for the U.S. men’s team.

• My favorite: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400-meter hurdler who won gold by covering 25.8 feet every second. How is that even possible? Then, she used her platform to prioritize her Christian faith over winning medals. You may not like that, but I didn’t like the black-gloved fists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised during their medal ceremony in the 1968 Olympics. People who earn their platforms have the right to use them peacefully as they choose.

• And, I have to mention a sentimental favorite: Anna Cockrell, who took the silver behind McLaughlin-Levrone’s gold (no shame in that!). Anna’s a hometown girl who went to Charlotte’s Providence Day School.

There were many other performances to celebrate. I’ll bet you had some favorites I didn’t mention.

In an attempt to uplift the downtrodden Israelites, Isaiah promised God would “… bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:3 NIV).” That’s what the aforementioned athletes did. They made beauty out of ashes in an Olympics that became controversial from the opening ceremony.

And shouldn’t we do the same? Not as Olympic athletes, but as ordinary folks who slog through life, sometimes beset by illness, tragedy, loss, and other maladies. After all, few, if any, of us will experience life unscathed.

The enormity of our heartache or the depth of our grief shouldn’t define us as a person. Rather, our ability to recover from such events speaks volumes about who we are as individuals. It is in these darkest valleys that we lean on our faith, family, and friends.

Our setbacks are part of our journey, not our destination. But sometimes it’s difficult to remember this when we’re in the midst of a crisis. Going it alone or “toughing it out” are fraught with peril. God puts people in our lives to lift us when we fall. Giving them that opportunity enriches not just our lives, but theirs as well.

Like the Olympians, each of us has a platform. It’s likely not as far-reaching as theirs, but there are still many people in our circle of influence whom we can help and who in turn can reach out to us in our time of need.

When we do that, we too can make beauty out of ashes.