“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5
Like many, I celebrated when our men’s gymnastics team won the bronze medal. The U.S.A. men’s team ended a 16-year drought to bring home the team medal with a tremendous performance in France. Brody Malone, Paul Juda, Asher Hong, Frederick Richard, and Stephen Nedoroscik made up the U.S.A. team. They were exciting to watch. I was amazed as I watched them compete. Each athlete seemed to perform superhuman movements with ease.
Perhaps the most thrilling event to watch, and the one that has caught the world’s attention, was the pommel horse. Stephen Nedoroscik, a U.S.A. team member who competed on the pommel horse, was the team specialist. Unlike the rest of the team, Stephen Nedoroscik only had one event to prepare for. He has dedicated his gymnastic training to this event.
Stephen was the last team member to perform his event. He had waited patiently. When the time came, he removed his warmups, took off his glasses, much like Clark Kent, and performed a nearly flawless routine. At the end of the routine, when Stephen landed on his feet, he immediately began to celebrate. You could see in his face the joy of knowing that years and years of training had paid off. He was now an Olympic medalist.
Competing at the highest level in any sport requires talent and an intense dedication to training. Stephen Nedoroscik is twenty-five years old. He began gymnastics training in 2003, when he was four years old. Along the way, he earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Penn State. While at Penn State, he became a national champion in the pommel horse. He has had great success at every level of academics and gymnastics.
Success is rarely present without struggle, even for Olympians. Stephen has had to work hard to overcome his struggles with the pommel horse. Stephen said his troubles have been challenging but helpful. “Running into trouble on the apparatus early on taught me how to fight, how to stay on, how to really go for that routine,” he said. “And I think that that has stuck with me throughout.”
Any great accomplishment requires perseverance. To succeed in any endeavor, we must work to overcome the obstacles in front of us. Even growing in our faith requires perseverance. The good news is that when we persevere, we find that we have grown in character and abilities. The success of the U.S.A. Men’s team and Stephen Nedoroscik remind us all today that perseverance can lead to the life we all desire.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
