I love the Olympics...

...because of the amazing stories of people overcoming obstacles to achieve excellence. It seems there is no shortage of amazing examples of God's grace on display.

Today, Joannie Rochette, a Canadian figure skater took to the ice 2 days after her mother died suddenly of a heart attack after arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter perform. The skater finished her program flawlessly, holding off grief until the end, when she let the tears out (and I cried at home). Don't believe I've ever heard announcers so choked up.

A few Olympics back I remember a swimmer from a small country with no swim team--he practiced in rivers at home and his warm up at the games was his first time in an Olympic-sized pool. He came in dead last, no where near winning a medal, but the crowd was on its feet cheering thunderously as he came down the last pool length, determined to finish the race.

Then there is the true story of the Jamaican bobsledding team...