One More Vault

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the U.S. women's gymnastics team stood on the edge of history. After a stumbling first vault, Kerri Strug limped back to the start of the runway with a badly sprained ankle. Her team needed her score to secure the gold. Coach Béla Károlyi called out across the arena floor: "Shake it out, Kerri. You can do this."

She could have stopped. No one would have blamed her. But Kerri trusted her coach's voice above the roar of 32,000 fans, above the screaming pain in her ankle, above her own fear. She sprinted down the runway, launched off the vault, and stuck the landing — on one foot — before crumpling to the mat in tears. The United States won the gold medal.

In one of the most iconic images in Olympic history, Béla Károlyi carried Kerri Strug to the medal podium, her ankle wrapped, her face radiant.

That is a picture of trust. Not blind optimism, but confidence rooted in a relationship — in knowing who your coach is, what he has seen in you, and what he has prepared you for. There are moments in every believer's life when the Almighty asks us to take one more step, run one more mile, trust one more time. The path isn't clear. The pain is real. But His voice cuts through the noise.

He has not carried you this far to let you fall.