Josh Davis won three gold medals in swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, then two silver medals at the 2000 Games in Sydney, where he was captain of the U.S. swim team. Today, he's a motivational speaker, swimming coach, and author. The following is adapted from his new devotional book, The Goal and the Glory (Regal Books), which features devotions from numerous Olympians.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, as I stared down my lane to lead off the U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay, the thought crossed my mind that 4 hours of swimming each day for 10 years—a total of 25,000 miles—now came down to one moment in time.

The starter's gun released me, and I led off the relay with a lifetime best! My early lead got the rest of the team pumped up, and in the end, we won by over a body length! The joy and relief we felt was indescribable. The intense satisfaction of accomplishing a lifelong dream in front of a home crowd and of coming together with my relay mates in perfect execution was a high I had never felt before.

Soon after, we put on red, white, and blue awards jackets and were escorted to the podium for the medal ceremony. As they announced, "Gold Medal, United States of America," we all stood together, waving to 10,000 screaming fans. I couldn't believe it was happening.

The next several hours were a blur of high-fives, hugs, and hellos. Celebrating with family and teammates was incredible. Soon, we were whisked off to do a live interview for NBC, while ESPN and Sports Illustrated wanted some quotes. Everybody we saw treated us like gods. I finally fell asleep that night with my new gold medal around my neck and a huge smile on my face.

The morning after
When I woke up the next morning, all the excitement, all the hype, all the adrenaline … it was all gone! Granted, I was still living in the Olympic Village, eating the free food, and looking forward to some more races, but the mood was drastically different from the night before.

I had finally tasted the best the world had to offer, and it was sweet … but oh, so short! Having had a taste of glory, I now felt empty. It was sobering to experience the shock of a high so high followed by a low so low.

I looked for encouragement and perspective in God's Word, turning to 1 Peter 1:7: "Your faith … [is] of greater worth than gold." I found comfort in the knowledge that my relationship with Jesus is infinitely more valuable and more precious than gold.

Matthew 6:19-21 adds these words: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." I realized then that my medal wouldn't last forever, but it was good to know that there is something that will.

These days, when I give motivational speeches at schools, I pass my gold medal around the room so each student can hold it or wear it. I always enjoy watching the reactions of the children: Their eyes get big as they "ooh" and "ahh." Several people over the years have accidentally dropped my medal, and it is dented and scratched. Meanwhile, my cool monogrammed Olympic suitcase is falling apart, my Olympic towels are starting to unravel, and some of my Olympic clothes have bleach stains.

This wear and tear reminds me that, eventually, everything material in this world will fall apart. God's Word reminds us that there are only three eternal things: God, his Word, and the souls of men and women. And when we invest our lives accordingly, by serving God and others in and through his love, we are storing up gold medals in heaven that will last forever.

Heaven's awards ceremony
I still smile when I watch the tape of my team winning—but not as much as I do when I discover someone has committed his or her life to Christ. While only a few know what it's like to win an Olympic medal, the experience will pale in comparison to the awards ceremony that awaits us in heaven. That's a promise straight from Scripture:

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).

Adapted from The Goal and the Glory, © 2008 by Josh Davis. Published by Regal Books, www.RegalBooks.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For more info on Josh Davis, go to www.JoshDavis.com.

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