| "I can't pull out. I committed this race to God." This thought was all that kept world-renowned wheelchair racer Jean Driscoll in the 1994 Boston Marathon. Suffering from severe food poisoning, Driscoll felt sure her four-time winning streak was coming to an end as she struggled past the 10K mark. Then she remembered her daily devotion from the day before, when God directed her to Proverbs 16:3: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
Strengthened by this reminder, Driscoll went on to win her fifth consecutive marathon with a time that set the standing world record in her division.
"Ever since that race," she says, "I commit everything I do to God. That way I know I'll do my best, as I'm carried by His Spirit."
Driscoll has always been one to pursue excellence, but there was a time when she thought she had to achieve it on her own. Born with spina bifida, an imperfect closing of the spinal column, she determined as a child to prove those in her small world wrong. Experts said she'd never walk and would forever be dependent on her parents. Her family said she'd never measure up to her siblings.
And for a time Driscoll struggled, feeling her wheelchair was a barrier to the life of achievement she desired. But God knew otherwise and drew her into the world of sports before she even recognized His hand in her life.
There she began to gain new confidence, encouraged by people who recognized her natural talent and helped her hone her skills. Her rise to the top in the athletic world was swift, but the internal pressure remained.
In 1986 when Driscoll became a Christian, she did not fully understand what accepting Christ meant and, therefore, did not nurture her newfound commitment. Consequently, she did not have the inner peace she sought. Then, just before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, a friends gentle demeanor, of peace and joy helped Driscoll recognize that Christ is the sole source of peace. She placed her future in God's hands.
Driscoll carried her Bible for the first time to an event in Barcelona. Days of training were followed by evenings on the Mediterranean beach, searching Scripture and listening to Christian music. During this time she discovered what truly entrusting her life to Christ meant.
Driscoll now explains that her disability is not a defining element of her identity. She views her wheelchair merely as a tool-like a nearsighted persons glasses-and with God's help she has accomplished feats most only dream of. Among them are eight Boston Marathon champion-ships, two Olympic silver medals, and multiple Paralympic medals, including four golds.
Sports Illustrated for Women recently voted Driscoll one of the top 25 female athletes of the century. And when you ask how significant Scripture is to her life as a successful athlete, she is quick to reply, "It makes all the difference in the world."
Driscoll believes the power of the Gospel is unsurpassed. Even the intense, unique pressures faced by world-class athletes can diminish with an encouraging word from God.
by Emily Smith, a freelance writer living in Colorado Springs.
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