Lindsey Kildow was hospitalized after a horrific crash She competed last week Wednesday and finished eighth. AP
DETERMINED KILDOW FINISHES EIGHTH
In some ways, the crash is probably more familiar to the hundreds of thousands who have seen its ubiquitous replay on television.
Lindsey Kildow, the one actually doing the mid-air 180 and skidding to a horrifying halt -- legs and arms akimbo and screaming in agony -- doesn't remember all that much about it.
"I just remember being in my tuck, and I go into the air, and all the sudden I'm looking back up the roll I had just gone over,'' she said. "I lost memory for about 10 minutes. It's still a little blurry; I just remember screaming and being in an incredibly large amount of pain.''
And no, she hasn't watched the replay.
To those who have watched the replay, her appearance in the ladies' downhill - just two days after she was airlifted to the hospital for fear that she had broken bones and serious head trauma - was a minor miracle. That she finished eighth? Chalk that one up to Kildow. She is, after all, the second-ranked downhill skier in the world.
Kildow finished her one run in 1 minute, 57.78 seconds, which tied her for eighth among 45 skiers. She was 1.29 seconds off the gold-medal pace of Michaela Dorfmeister's 1:56.49.
"It's still disappointing,'' Kildow said, "because I'm still not physically where I want to be. I feel like I could have done a lot better. But for what I've been through, I'm happy with it. I'm just happy to be here.''
photo courtesy AP & story courtesy ohio.com, 02/16/06
8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ 9and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!
Pressing toward the Goal
12I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
I'm so impressed by Lindsey Kildow. Without a doubt, this young lady has the courage and motivation to keep going for her goal - no matter what!
It's the same for those of us who follow Christ. We must know the goal of the Christian life if we're going to run the race that God has for us.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN PAUL'S LIFE?
Paul wrote that he wanted to know Christ more than anything else! This is the passion that God gave him - so that he would become more like Jesus Christ!
WHAT DOES PAUL SAY IS THE WAY TO REACH THIS GOAL?
FAITH! Paul says that the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, is what energized him to live his life with the goal of knowing Him!
HOW MOTIVATED ARE YOU TO KNOW CHRIST AND BECOME LIKE HIM?
This goal sounds impossible because we know how often we fall down as we run toward the finish line. But, we can experience Christ's resurrection power to get us through the pain and suffering of this earthly "run".
Look at God's gold medal that awaits us! We become like Jesus and live with Him forever in Heaven!
- Memorize Philippians 3:12 as a reminder of your goal in the Christian life.
- Write down a "Top Ten" list of what gets you off track in becoming more like Jesus. Place this in your Bible or on your mirror as a reminder to depend on Christ's resurrection power to leave these distractions behind as you pursue the goal of becoming like Jesus.
- Sit down with an older believer and ask their advice on staying motivated to keep focused on the goal of being like Jesus.
- As you watch the Olympics, let the motivation demonstrated by Olympians like Lindsey Kildow inspire you to "keep your eyes on the prize".
Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG. Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.
Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.