One More Step

On July 23, 1996, eighteen-year-old Kerri Strug faced a moment that would define her life. In the women's gymnastics team final at the Atlanta Olympics, the American team needed one more vault to secure the gold medal. Strug had just landed badly on her first attempt, hearing the sickening pop of torn ligaments in her left ankle.

She had a choice. Her coach, Bela Karolyi, looked at her and said, "You can do it." But only Kerri could decide whether to run.

She sprinted down that runway on an ankle that screamed with every step, launched herself into the air, and stuck the landing on one foot — holding steady just long enough for the judges to record her score — before collapsing in pain. The team won gold.

Courage is rarely the absence of pain. More often, it is the decision to move forward while everything in you is screaming to stop. Scripture does not promise us a life free from injury. What the Almighty tells Joshua is striking in its honesty: "Be strong and courageous." Those are words you only need to hear when the situation genuinely calls for fear.

God never says, "Do not worry, it will not hurt." He says, "I will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). Sometimes faithfulness looks like one more step when everything hurts — not because the pain is not real, but because the One who calls you forward is more real still.