Does anyone remember when this happened during the 2000 Sydney Olympics? ( You may have to click on the link to watch it in Youtube to actually get it to play). I've always admired Eric Moussambani’s example of perseverance.
Moussambani gained entry to the Olympics without meeting the minimum
qualification requirements via a wildcard draw designed to encourage developing
countries to participate. Before the Olympics, he had never seen an
Olympic-size swimming pool. Infact, he had also
only taken up swimming eight months previous and had practiced in a lake.
His story reminds me of the
prophet Lehi's vision of The Tree of Life in the Book of Mormon. The
vision was received in a dream by the prophet Lehi, and
later in vision by his son Nephi, who then wrote about it. The vision includes a path leading to a tree symbolizing eternal life, with an iron rod along the path whereby followers
of Jesus may hold to the rod and avoid wandering off the
path into pits or waters symbolizing sin. The vision also includes a large
building where the wicked look down at the righteous and mock them. I had found several connections between Eric Mossambani and The Tree of
Life. First, Eric had a goal. He wanted to make it to the finish line. He knew when he started it would not be easy. He knew he would not be perfect and
that he would make mistakes. It was tremendously difficult for him to finish. He was tired but
he still gave his best effort and did not give up. Although it was very challenging, he eventually
made it to the end. Just like Eric, we
have come to earth with one goal. That
goal is to go back and live with our loving Heavenly Father. We also knew it wouldn’t
be an easy task. We knew we would make
mistakes. But with the right
perspective, keeping our eye on the finish line (or the Tree of Life), we can do
it. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly
Father who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to take upon Him our sins
and sacrifice His life so that we could be forgiven. Second, in order to succeed, Mossambani and the
other competitors had to follow the rules of the sport. Sadly, two of the
competitors did not follow the rules.
They had a false start and were disqualified from the race. We also have rules we must follow in this
sport called Life. God has given us
commandments. They are found in the scriptures and taught to us through living
prophets. When we obey, we are blessed and when we
disobey, just like the disqualified swimmers, there are consequences. Another
similarity between Mossambani and Lehi's vision are the mockers. When Mossambani first jumps into the pool,
you can hear laughter from the audience. The crowd doesn’t
believe he can do it. In Lehi’s vision,
there is a crowd of onlookers who watch the righteous and mock and laugh. Mossambani did not let those
who laughed at him influence his determination and just like him we must also not let those around us influence our determination to be obedient. At the end of the race a
reporter asked Mossambani how he felt and
he simply answered, “I feel good.
I feel happy.” Being obedient to
God brings happiness. It allows us to live with no regrets. Eventually it brings the greatest blessing of all. To live with our families with God forever. And isn’t that
what we all want?
I know I do.
