One morning as I was in the middle of my “quiet time,” there came a loud knock at my front door. Who in the world would be banging on my door at 6:15 in the morning?
My heart was racing as my mind began to imagine a robber standing behind the doors. I contemplated getting a weapon of some sort but then settled for turning on the front porch light and peeking out the sidelight window.
As I turned on the light I heard a voice on the other side of the door saying, “We are representatives of the United States Anti-Doping Committee looking for Kristi Overton Johnson.”
While I mentally processed this information, I asked for some sort of identification to be shown through my window. The gentleman flashed an official badge up to the sidelight panel. I peeked out the window and saw a man and woman with a small suitcase and clip boards.
I took a deep breath and opened the door. I tried to explain that I didn’t compete any more but it seems that my brief re-entry into competitive water skiing the year before had ranked me high enough on the world ranking list to deem me “worthy” of testing.
I apologized for my morning breath, bed-head, and improper attire. Fortunately, they seemed to understand. We went to my dining room table where I was questioned about my daily medication usage and then offered a urine sample kit. As I was heading to the bathroom with the female doping agent, I immediately regretted using the bathroom minutes before the surprise knock at the door.
Of course my bladder that works in overtime most of my life got stage fright!
After giving an unacceptable amount of urine, I was asked to carry my urine sample around the house with me. USOC regulations require the sample to remain in the athlete’s possession at all times and in plain view of the official sample taker.
What a sight to behold! Here I am whipping up Belgium waffles (the breakfast requested by my three kids) with a beater in one hand and a sample of urine in the other. It didn’t help that we had a male guest visiting. I can only imagine what he thought as he watched his breakfast being cooked next to my urine.
Nearly 2 hours later we finished the surprise testing and I headed out the door with my kids, late for school. I couldn’t help but think about all my efforts the night before to have a smooth and peaceful morning. How quickly those plans went straight out the window. Never in a million years would I have dreamed up this scenario! Granted it wasn’t a major crisis, in fact it was quite humorous at times, but it was an inconvenience.
Life has a way of doing these sorts of things to us at times. We search for that calm water but somehow a big wave always seems to come out of nowhere when we least expect it and knocks us off course.
What’s a person to do?
Well, the way I look at it is that we have a choice. We can either fall apart, freak out, panic, or simply throw in the towel; or, we can take a deep breath and with God’s help, deal with whatever is waiting outside our door. If we get knocked down, we can choose to get up again. If we get thrown off course, we can choose to regroup and get back on course. Instead of sitting on the sidelines whining, “Why me?”, we can say, “OK Lord, What now?” The Bible promises that if we call unto Him for wisdom, He will give it to us (James 1:5).
No, having a visit from the Olympic committee before the sun came up wasn’t on my agenda, but what a great opportunity I was given to show the love of Christ to people who probably aren’t given a warm welcome very often.
I was able to extend warm hospitality and show forth a gentle and humble spirit (something that was only possible with the help of God above).
The funny thing is that during my “quiet time” that morning, I had prayed for God to give me an opportunity to share His love during the day. I just had to be open to share whenever and with whoever God brought into my path. II Timothy 4:2 says to be ready to share Christ with people when the time is convenient and when it’s not.
Be ready today to show God’s love with everyone who crosses your path…both to those who bring blessings and to those who bring interruptions.
____________Kristi Overton Johnson is a wife, mother and World Record Holder in women’s slalom in the sport of waterskiing from 1992-2010. Having retired from professional sports, Kristi now helps others fulfill their God-given destiny.
She is the founder of Champion’s Heart and In His Wakes, divisions of KOJ Ministries. Kristi currently resides in Florida with her husband, Tim, and their three children.
To read more by Kristi go to http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/his-wakes
To learn about her mission and work visit Kristi Overton Johnson Ministries.
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