DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
LOLO’S LESSON LEARNED
© NaimaLett.com/blog

Lolo Jones © The Today Show

Lesson Learned

“…I think there’s lessons to be learned when you win and lessons to be learned when you lose,” a tearful Lolo Jones summarizes on The Today Show this morning.

Four years after knocking over the last hurdle that cost her a medal in Beijing, Lolo finishes fourth and misses the Olympic podium yet again in the 100m hurdles. I briefly shared highlights of Lolo’s hard knock story in my blogs What a Second Chance! and Celebrity, Virginity and Celibacy.

To make matters worse, she also has to deal with negative media backlash from her very visible spotlight leading up to the Olympics.

Lolo responds “They (media) should be supporting our U.S. Olympic athletes and instead they just ripped me to shreds. I just thought that was crazy because I worked six days a week, every day, for four years for a 12-second race and the fact that they just tore me apart, it was just heartbreaking.”

In defense of being accused of only caring about “image”, Lolo insists, “I am the American record holder indoors, I have two world indoor titles. Just because I don’t boast about these things, I don’t think I should be ripped apart by media. I laid it out there, fought hard for my country and it’s just a shame that I have to deal with so much backlash when I’m already so brokenhearted as it is.”

She refers to her broken heart several times, including a prayer following the race. She tweets, “In room singing Desert Song by Hillsong. It’s on repeat. Lord Jesus, please comfort me , guide me & heal my broken heart.”

Can you relate?
Haven’t we all been there?
Worked night and day on something that didn’t turn out the way we wanted?
It’s devastating.

Lolo says the lesson to be learned is that even though putting herself out in the media drew negativity, if just one little girl is inspired by all she fought through to become an Olympian, it’s worth it.

But I actually think the lesson that we learn from Lolo is how to respond to disappointment. She works 6 days a week for 8 years (not just 4 years) for a 12-second race and she loses – twice. Yet, she gets up the next morning, heart busted, and still does her interviews.

How many athletes want to talk about their loss over and over again the next day? Most want to curl up in a ball and disappear.

Lolo prays, then gets up this morning, and still moves forward forward, broken heart and all.

Let us learn from her example.

When King David goes through a rough patch, he writes the following song.

PSALM 31
(Excerpt)
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak…

14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies…
16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love…

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Be Strong & Take Heart

Today, I pray for Lolo. That she will be strong and take heart and hope in the Lord.
It’s incredibly disappointing to lose, and it’ll take some time to process, but she’s still got a future.

I pray for you as well – be strong and take heart. Hope in the Lord.
Whatever obstacle you’re facing, pray about it, then get up and face the day.

Facing the day in LA :=)
Naima

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