An Olympic Champion’s Journey to Real Life and Meaning (Part 2 of 2)

We all take our losses, we all take our failures, we put them in a bag and we carry them over our shoulder.

And we just, those are our failures and we're just going to carry them. And it's so unhealthy to do that because it drags you down and it prevents you from being nimble. It prevents you from being free.

It prevents you from being all those things. But as I stepped into faith, I realized that they'd all been taken away anyway. Former Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton sharing about how God was calling him to trust him with his very life. And of course we left off last time with Scott sharing about his spiritual searching. And today we're going to hear how he found his answers in Christ. Welcome to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly.

I'm John Fuller. Jim, one of the reasons we're airing this, obviously right now you've got the summer Olympics going. And I'm just saying as you watch those young people compete, think of Scott Hamilton's story. And there's probably some Olympians right now that you're going to watch on TV that are going through struggles personally. Pray for them as you watch them. You know these young people, they're struggling.

They think if they can just get to that platform, if they can get gold, it'll meet every need they ever had. And Scott's story last time was, it didn't. And we're going to talk more about the great accomplishments that he gained in the winter Olympics through figure skating. But what was going on in his life? His mom died of cancer. He struggled with health issues as a child. And then he got a break. He won a gold medal after failing over and over again, which is an amazing lesson to learn to keep trying. And as I said, none of it satisfied him. But God had a plan for his life. And in some ways, his journey was just beginning after his worldly success. And we're going to hear so much more about that today. You know, I'm sure business people, man, I've talked to people in the LGBTQ community.

They think if the society just embraces them as being able to marry, it will fill that hole in their heart. It's not going to do that because it's a hole that God has created for us to find him, no matter what our struggle is in this life. One more deal as a business guy, success, whatever it might be, it is not going to ultimately fill that hole.

Only the Lord can fill that with his son, Jesus. Yeah. And we had such a deep, honest conversation with Scott. This was in front of a group of maybe 100, 125 friends of Focus on the Family gathered in the Rocky Mountains. And much of the content that you hear today and from last time is in Scott's book called Finish First. I'll encourage you to get a copy of it from us here at Focus on the Family.

You'll find it in the show notes. Here now is part two of the conversation we had with Scott Hamilton on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Where did Tracy step into this picture? Well, I will tell you that story right now. Okay. So you're toxic and you meet Tracy.

I just feel like there's something in me that wants to be in a relationship, but I know that I'm just broken and I'm just not, I'm not a good person. Right. So on the third anniversary of my diagnosis to the day, I'm in Memphis and Tony Thomas, Danny Thomas's son, Stars on Ice was benefiting Target House at St. Jude. And so we had all the St. Jude families there. And Tony would come in and Tony and I played a lot of golf together and we were really good friends. And he had a couple of guests coming to the show that night. And I was like, oh, Tony's dating.

This is good. All right. I want to meet, I want to see who's down to meet his date. So after the show, I go, there's this woman, this young girl standing by the production office and she was really pretty. And I went up and I introduced myself as Tony's date. Right. And my heart jumped. It like it something like something switched.

And I was like, oh, that's weird. I go, well, maybe maybe I'm supposed to start getting into a relationship now. All right. I'll be I guess I'm supposed to be open to that. So I'm Tony's dates off limits. Right. But I'm going to.

So I went back. We're playing golf with Tony. And he's like on the phone.

He's on the phone. That's like, is that the girl from Memphis? And he said, Tracy. And I go, I don't know her name.

And he goes, no, no, no, no, no. She's like, she's a friend. She's like a little sister.

No, that wasn't a date at all. And it's like, really? And he goes, did you like her? And I go, yeah, I kind of did. And he goes, it's really funny you ask about her.

I think she's moving to L.A. this week. So I go to his barbecue and one of my favorite caddies at the golf club was this funny guy named Jimmy. Jimmy goes, hey, my cousin was supposed to come and I made other plans. I go, who's your cousin? He goes, Tracy. I go, wait, Tracy's your cousin?

Yeah, our mothers are sisters. I go, do you have her number? And he goes, I do. I go, can I have it? He goes, yes, you can.

So three weeks later, we went out on our first date and we've been together 24 years. That's awesome. Yeah. But in that. So here's here's the most important part.

Yes. We're dating. I'm like goofy, toxic, damaged, weird guy. And she's light and beauty and fun and and solid. And we're dating for a few weeks. And she goes, I have to talk to you about something. And I go, OK. And she goes, I like I like us. I really like us a lot.

I think I think this is going really well. And I go, I agree. I don't want to date anyone else. I don't want to do that. I go, that's fine.

Neither do I. And she goes, I just have to ask you a question. And I go, you can ask me anything. And she goes, where are you in your relationship with Jesus?

And I hesitated and I said, where do you want me to be? Smart guy. Yeah.

No. She goes, where are you? And I go, honestly, I don't know. I believe in God. I know. I know the name Jesus.

I don't know enough about him to have a relationship with him. And she said, well, would you meet with my pastor? And I said, bring it now.

Sooner the better. I'm a fire to do this now. So I met the pastor of the University Church of Christ at Pepperdine, where we started going to church. And he basically took me under his wing and he got me to understand who I am in Jesus and who Jesus is in me. And and he just the first six weeks, I'll never forget it. The first six weeks I went to church where the the study of the prodigal son. Let's start with that one.

No, but it was like, OK, I'm not too far gone. I can be in this family. I can be in this community. I can have a relationship with Jesus. I haven't blown it so bad.

And basically it's like, no, you can't blow it too bad. As long as you seek him and and love him and want a relationship with him. He he went to the cross for you. He's taken away all of your sins. Don't diminish the work of the cross.

Accept it freely. And so the day I got baptized, we were in the faculty hot tub at Pepperdine and it was a rainy, cold day. And I came out of the water and life just felt completely new. And Tracy was there with our son Aiden because we'd gotten married at that point. I wanted baptism. I wanted to know enough to do it perfectly right. And Aiden sitting there, he's this baby and they're going to I'm going back to the house to watch football and they're going to go out to lunch.

And she comes up and she goes, how do you feel? And I said, lighter because I wasn't carrying all that stupid stuff around with me anymore. So it made that impact on you, committing your life to the Lord. Yeah. When you synthesize all of that, you think of the gold medals, the achievements without him.

Yeah, they offend me. What does that mean? That means that when I when I got my gold medal, I came back to Denver to a parade.

But nothing like mental health. They give me a parade and it's cheerleaders and it's fire trucks and it's Larimer Square being full capacity with all these people. I trained in isolation and I come back to being this person that everybody knows. And it was really bizarre. And the governor of the state of Colorado, Governor Lamb, invited me to come into his office. And I was happy to do it. So I got my jacket and tie and thought it was a political photo op.

That's what I thought at first. And I walk into his office and the gentleman was in there left and shut the door behind him. And he said, you seem like a nice young man. I go, thank you. And he goes, have you ever heard of the hometown hero syndrome? And I go, no. And he goes, that's when the quarterback of the high school football team throws the bomb at the end of the game and they win the state championship. And he's carried off the field in their shoulders and he thinks his whole life is going to be that way.

And it's not. He goes, I just really feel like you're a good person and I don't want this accomplishment to destroy the rest of your life. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. But there will be a day when there are no more parades, when there are no more crowds.

What a wise word. It was so such a gift because two nights later, I'm asked to speak at the Paralympic banquet. All the athletes that competed after us in Zarevo are coming back and I walk into this room, you know, studly on the Olympic gold medalists.

Right. And every one of those athletes had the same medal I did, except they didn't have legs or vision or countless maladies. It's like what I did was nothing.

What they did was heroic because they're inspiring people to get up and to get out and and to make the most of their lives. And I just I just felt so unworthy of speaking at that banquet. I just thank them and I just congratulated them. And it was like, so my Olympic gold medal lived in a brown paper bag in my underwear drawer for eight years. The bottom of my underwear drawer.

I don't know where to go with that. I know exactly. I normally would say my sock drawer, but we're family now.

Right. We know each other. So and it wasn't until I was elected to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame that they said, is there anything you want to put on display? And I go, everything.

And they go, what do you mean? Will you take everything? Everything. Everything. Like your world's medal? Everything. Can you take everything?

And they go, sure. So I gave them everything from my very first medal I won in 1968, second in the sub pre juvenile men. So all of everything, it took everything because it was just and I realized when I start and really dedicated myself to having a relationship with the Lord, that they're all idols. They're all idols. And it's funny because, you know, listening to Family Matters, you know, I was just like Joyce Meyer. You know, I was listening to her one day and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. She goes, you know, when you when you go by a junkyard, just stop and look over the fence. And it's like, you know, it's what's over. Yeah.

What's on the other side of that fence is some every single thing. There is something that somebody would have sold their soul to own. And now it's garbage. Wow. And I thought about that and it's like, now look at everything you own. How do you feel about it now? Because it's all garbage.

And it was there. It's just it's liberating. You know, it's like it's like I got a long way to go. Like, you know, I'm a work in progress, but it's like all those things, all those accomplishments, unless unless I'm able to leverage them into something else that's going to impact the community or do something other than just be it's worthless. Well, and what you have expressed tonight, I mean, you hit the highest level.

And yet talking about your cancer, your mom, these sound like the things that are most important to you in terms of the everyday thing that people encounter and overcome. And it's the adventure. It's like the next. You know, it's funny. There's this friend of mine. His name is Dean Sykes. And, you know, Dean, you got to have Dean on your show. Dean's a rock star.

All Dean does is talk to high school kids. And I was talking to him and I go every now and then I'm just haunted by my past. And he goes, we're going this way. He put his two fingers straight out in front of me. He goes, we're going this way.

And I heard it said there's no future in the past. And it's like, yeah, I can let go all that stuff. I don't have to feel guilty for the way I used to live.

I don't have to any of those things. I can step into a relationship with a living, loving God who loves me more than I'll ever be able to truly understand and has given me everything. Everything, including his son. He sacrificed his son for me. And every now and then, you know, you just feel this well of just goodness. And you just feel like, is that the Holy Spirit?

You sound like the rich man who did give it all up to follow Jesus. A long way to go. No, I mean, seriously, though. I mean, as I listen to the threads of what you're talking about, we do have a number of young people watching right here and listening.

That pursuit of greatness of a gold medal or more than one. It's not really where it's at. It's not where it's at because it's not. And it's like we we started this what we call 40 weeks of 40 years. And this is part of it.

Thank you. And I was talking here, you know, 40 years ago, something happened. So we can look at upon that as 40 years ago, Olympic gold medal happened. Right. So is that what we're celebrating?

No. What I really want to focus on is what has happened over the last 40 years and what we can do with those moments to leverage them into something greater, something better, something where, yeah, there's ways of like I worked really hard. I toured for 20 years. I thought if I toured for two, I was fooling people. I toured for 20 and it was unbelievable. I got so tired.

I couldn't even tour at the end. And it was remarkable. But in that, I realized that it wasn't about that. It was about sharing those moments with my cast like Christy and and and Paul and Kurt and Torvaldine and Katya and Sergei and all these my family, my stars and his family. These shared moments, these experiences. And then when Tracy and I started our family, you know, it was like the day Aiden was born. I looked into flesh on my own flesh for the very first time in my life. I'd never seen flesh on my own flesh before. And I looked I was looking into my eyes and it was just like, this is it. This is the stuff. And one thing makes the next thing possible.

And that thing makes the next thing possible. So when my mom died, you know, some of the greatest notches, you know, you can look at her. I survived this. I survived that. I survived this thing. And, you know, I've I've lost the person in this world I love the most at a time when I need her most, you know, survived illness, failure, ridicule, you know, just everything cancer, three brain tumors. And I look at all that and it's kind of like it's fortifying.

And so in all of this, it's like the more stress would you take on in our lives and the more root system you have, stronger you are, the stronger you are. And again, I joked about it earlier, but it's I've fallen minimum forty one thousand six hundred times. But it's not about that.

It's not like this. It's getting up forty one thousand six hundred times when you get up forty one thousand six hundred times. Those falls take on less and less meaning. Well, I think your whole life, what it demonstrates is that sense of hope. Yes. You even before you knew the Lord, I haven't given up yet. Yeah. But hope is part of who you are. And that's a character of God.

Yeah. I met this little boy a long time ago and he was this expert on presidents. And I go, who is your favorite president? He goes, John F. Kennedy. He was like eight. And I go, really? Why? He gave the people hope.

And I go, is there anything greater than hope? He said, love. That'll preach. How old was this kid? He was like eight.

He was like, he's a genius. Every president. I can't even.

I can name six. I don't know. But it's crazy how we get so consumed, you know, by the world and everything wrong happening in it. And the world is now more connected and we're more disconnected than we've ever been. And we're divided because we have to side with this or side with that. And it's and it's like, no, no, no. We're children of God.

And we have to step into that relationship with not only confidence, but with a humble desire to serve others. I, I was standing behind a woman one time and she was wearing a bandana because she lost her hair to chemotherapy. She was buying her groceries. And I just said, you know, this woman is brave and she deserves someone to just acknowledge her bravery. And so she put her credit card and I go, allow me. And she goes, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I could never. I go, I'm a cancer survivor.

She goes, OK. And so she let me buy her groceries. And this is where I love your ministry. And this is where you're trying to reach people where they are. And you're trying to hit them from every side. I mean, the authors and the speakers and the and the thought leaders and people that have done this show.

This is the worst day the show has ever had. No, but I'm just saying that it's like you pour into people. Right. And hope is is a short commodity these days because we're all looking at someone else to tell us we're going to be OK or that we're happy when we have everything we need to know that we're going to be OK and that we should be happy in this time.

At least content, because we have a living, loving God who has given us everything we need. And Jesus. Oh, my goodness. Is there ever been anything more beautiful than Jesus and everything he left behind for us and everything he does for us on a daily basis? Advocating for us to the Father and the Holy Spirit. And just those times when you didn't couldn't understand why something happened.

You know, it's like, where did that come from? Well, and again, for a man who's achieved it all, really the highest height. And to come back and say it's really about the Lord.

It's about the Lord and it's about serving others. Amen. Well, listen, Scott Hamilton, this is a great just hearing your story.

It's been very easy to sit and just hear what the Lord has done in your life. And now it's been an honor and it's real. And if people want to join us, you know, to change cancer forever, jump on board. Scott cares dot org, Scott cares dot org. And then just that last little bit on the update where you're at with your own battle with cancer.

You mentioned it briefly, but just set that record straight. What's happening for you? So brain tumor number one, they had to go in to diagnose it. They put a hole in my head and they biopsied it and they found out what kind of brain tumor it was. It's called a craniopharyngioma.

I know you all know what that is. Craniopharyngiomas are usually detected early in a child's life due to a lack of growth and development. I was born with the brain tumor.

Yeah, just been sitting there, just sat there while I was while I was skating. It just sat there for all those years. I didn't grow.

I was doing its mischief because it inhibits growth and development. So then brain tumor comes back six years later and they're giving me a surgical option and a medical option. And all I heard in the back of my mind, that voice that sometimes it's not a voice, but it's just this overwhelming conviction of just get strong.

Get strong. And I was like, I don't understand. So they go, do you want to do surgery or do you want to look at the medical option? I go, I'm going to go home and get strong. And they go, what does that, what does that mean?

I go, I have no idea. So I went home and I go, is it physical? Like am I supposed to get in shape or am I supposed to be like emotionally stronger and more, am I supposed to be intellectually stronger, be more interested in stuff? Am I supposed to be spiritually stronger? Am I supposed to be more in the word?

Am I supposed to be more? And so I did what I did in high school. I was going, I negotiated my diploma.

I chose E, all of the above. And in that, I went back for a scan and they go, good news today. What? Didn't grow. Wow.

Cool. Three months later, I go back. Good news today. Didn't grow. No, it shrank 45 percent.

Can you explain that? And the surgeon chuckled and he goes, God, I said, good enough for me. And I went back three months later and the good news today shrunk another 25 percent. Go back again six months later now because it's it grew. OK, go back again. Grew. OK, go back again. It shrunk.

OK. And then I go, you know what? I heard Tony Robbins talk about his brain tumor, which caused him to grow uncontrollably. You know, the acromegaly.

He goes, I heard about 38 years ago. I don't care. I'm not going to not going to give it the time of day. It's like. I feel like I can do that now. So for the last eight years, I just haven't done anything. So I don't think about it. But when they wanted me to talk about my health history, I brought it up.

And now everybody thinks I've got another brain tumor. Yeah, let it go. But, you know, the thing is, is it's like, yeah, you don't you don't want anybody to be nervous. But when people reach out, it's like people are good and they're compassionate and they care about other people. And that's what we do best. I really do feel like the best of us is the best of us. But we do it really well. And we all have the capacity to do that.

You know, if you see a bald lady in a grocery store by our groceries, it's treasure in heaven. You know, it's there's a lot of things and we all mess up. I've messed up. It's like Paul said, I'm the worst of all sinners, you know. But grace and mercy abound.

Wow. God is so good. He is good. This is Scott. This has been terrific. Man, your life is a is a book.

No, it's been a real blessing. You guys are so good. And God bless you and your ministry and folks in the family, the work you do and all of you here for supporting this ministry. It's beautiful and remarkable. And and and, you know, I always say my one of my favorite lines is the greatest gifts are given to those who may not ever know its origin. That's beautiful. And what you put out there is really remarkable.

And what you guys make happen is miraculous. Well, we can just extend that to the whole audience, the listenership and everybody that's give yourselves a hand. There we go.

Let's go. There's a little bit. Well, that was a little bit of a twist there at the end of that. I jumped out of my seat here. He was such a commanding figure. What a great guy. What a wonderful conversation with Scott Hamilton on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly.

You know, you can tell right there Scott is a big fan of Focus on the Family. And we so appreciate him sharing that. I really didn't know the depth of his Christian commitment.

I had heard about it, but I wasn't sure. But certainly when you talk with him, it's right up front. And all that God has done through his life is amazing. You know, the Christian journey, it's not an easy one. And certainly Scott's story demonstrates that. But Scott's story also demonstrates as you stick with the Lord and you aim to bless others and do all you can to love him. Boy, the Lord just, you know, returns that in so many different ways. We've heard something of a kind of a David and Goliath story.

And hopefully you'll take courage from this conversation and be able to face your own giants. You can apply what he is talking about in your own life. That's what I love about a testimony. I think of the scripture in Romans 8.28.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. That's what he did for Scott. And that's what he will do for you. Learn more of Scott's inspiring story.

Get a hold of us. Make a gift of any amount. And we'll send you a copy of Finish First as our way of saying thank you for being part of the ministry. And it'll bless you. It'll give you some perspective on your own difficulties.

And that's a win-win. Yeah, call today to request that book and make a generous donation as you can. Our number is 800, the letter A in the word family. 800-232-6459.

Or stop by the show notes. Well, thanks for listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. I'm John Fuller inviting you back as we once again help you and your family thrive in Christ. Are you more connected to your technology or to God? Lighthouse Voices welcomes Samuel D. James as he explores the impact of digital addiction on your faith. In a free live stream event, he'll help you navigate a text-saturated culture and rediscover the reason you were created, to live in harmony with God. Mark your calendar for September 10th at 7 p.m. Eastern and register for this free live stream event at lighthousevoices.org. That's lighthousevoices.org.