Hebrews 10:23 (New American Standard Bible)
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
American Sarah Scherer sat in the crowd during the 2008
Olympics in Beijing, cheering on her brother Stephen in the air rifle
competition. She was thrilled to see him reap the fruits of countless hours of
training and practice.
Shooting had been a bonding activity for the Scherer
siblings for eight years at that point. When Stephen picked up the sport, his
little 9-year-old sister Sarah wanted to join him. They were practically
inseparable, both inside and outside of the shooting range. Such was life for
the Scherers as they grew up in a single-parent home, with their mother Sue
doing the best she could to provide for her family.
This year, 21-year-old Sarah will be the one grabbing the
air rifle to compete in London. She'll suit up in the heavy leather outfit that
helps support her physically as she aims and fires at 40 quarter-sized targets
from 10 meters away. She'll make every effort to control, relax and steady her
body -- even her beating heart.
The roles will not be reversed from 2008, when she
watched her brother compete. Stephen will be noticeably absent. Two years after
his 2008 Olympic competition, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The heart that Sarah Scherer will try so hard to still
during her Olympic competition -- the heart whose untimely beat can be the
difference between pinpoint precision and catastrophic error in her sport --
was practically torn from her body when her brother died. She contemplated
giving up shooting entirely. Too many haunting reminders.
But through God's grace and the love and support of
family and friends, Sarah has found the strength to continue her own shooting
career. She does it with a heart full of hope and confidence that she and her
brother will one day be reunited.
"Knowing that my brother had a faith in Christ and
lived for Him, that's the biggest thing for me," Scherer said.
"Because of that decision and that choice my brother made, and that trust
that I have, I'm 100 percent sure of where my brother is. I know that he's in a
much better place, and that I'll see him again in heaven. That's the number one
comfort that I've really experienced coming from my brother's faith."
In the months that followed Stephen's death, Sarah found
encouragement from Scripture. Her church family at Southcliff Baptist Church in
Fort Worth, Texas, surrounded her and her mother with prayers. Sarah's
collegiate small group was especially helpful as she grieved her brother's loss
and wrestled with the difficult questions. Why, God?
"Sarah's small group was kind of an anchor that
continually brought her back to what she knew to be true from God's Word, even
when she was at her lowest points," said Spencer Plumlee, one of
Southcliff's pastors who was the college minister at the time.
Friends emailed or texted her with encouragement, often
at just the time Sarah needed it the most. Her small group leader talked with
her and listened to Sarah's questions. Through all these things, Sarah saw the
hand of God upholding her. She heard the voice of God telling her, "I'm
here for you. Yes, this is a tough time, but I have a plan, and I'm in control."
"Leaning on Christ through this time has been the
only way that I've gotten through it," she said.
Scherer continued to practice and develop her shooting
skills on the Texas Christian University shooting team. The times she felt like
quitting, she got confirmation from God that He still had work for her to do
among that community.
So she kept at it, and her diligence paid off. As she
prepares to compete in London, Scherer knows the Olympics may resurrect painful
memories of her brother. This was their dream, not just hers, and now he's no
longer there to share it with her.
But she's also fully aware of the work God has done in
her life, bringing her through trials and tragedy and preparing her for the
biggest athletic event of her life. Whatever the outcome, Scherer continues to
cling to her Lord.
"My performance in the athletic world doesn't define
who I am," she said. "My definition is from Christ."
Are you letting Christ define your life?
Dear Lord as we go through this day we pray that we
wouldn’t let the things around us define who we are but that we would let You
define us. Help us to always put Your ways first. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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