If The Idea Of Soaring

IF THE IDEA OF SOARING 40 feet into the air, twisting around as you flip over and over, and landing on your feet is enough to put shivers up your spine, then join the club. About the only way that sounds remotely possible is if you could do it into a swimming pool.

But freestyle aerialists perform those amazing stunts under truly chilling conditions—in the snow. And in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, a couple of American ski jumpers brought home gold medals.

First, Nikki Stone claimed top honors by dominating the women’s competition from the start. She opened with a back full double full, where she flew off the launching ramp, pulled a triple-twisting double somersault, and nailed the landing. Her score of 98.15 was the highest of the day. Stone chose to perform a lay tuck full, or single twisting triple somersault, for her second jump and tallied 94.85 points to clinch the gold.

Not to be outdone, Stone’s teammate and training partner Eric Bergoust earned gold on the men’s side with a world record–breaking score of 255.64. And just like Stone, Bergoust set the tone. His 133.05 on his full double full full, or triple-twisting triple back somersault, was the highest score ever for a single jump. Bergoust followed up by landing a double full full full (that’s three back somersaults with four twists) to score 122.59 points—and an Olympic gold.

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POINT Nikki Stone and Eric Bergoust pushed the limit in their sport. By perfectly completing the toughest tricks, they won the Olympic gold and brought honor to their country.

Just imagine trying to land on your feet after completing four twists and three back somersaults (let alone landing on skis). If Bergoust and Stone didn’t keep their eyes on their target—the ground—they could have been seriously injured.

As Christians we should follow their example. We should always keep our eyes on the target—Jesus Christ. No matter how much our life is spinning out of control, by keeping our eyes on Christ, we can land on our feet.

GOAL! Think of times you crashed and burned because you weren’t focused on Christ. Now remember situations when you kept your eyes on God and succeeded. Ask God to help you always keep your eyes on him.