Scott Hamilton and the Blessing of Suffering

It's worth taking ten minutes to listen to the story of Olympic champion Scott Hamilton. I remember like it was yesterday watching him win gold in the men's figure skating at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics. In recent Olympics, including the current Sochi games, he seemingly skates every program with the athletes through his passionate commentary.

I'm moved by Scott's faith story here for a few reasons. One was his perspective on being diagnosed with a brain tumor after his skating career; a tumor that had been with him all of his life that stunted his growth as a youth, which in turn probably helped him excel in the sport. Two, amid his ordeal with cancer and the tumor, others reached out to him and through their witness, he found Christ. Three, through physical pain and suffering, he has learned to pray and relate to God on a much deeper level. 

God has used suffering as a blessing in Scott Hamilton's journey and ultimately used physical pain and illness to lead to true and everlasting life in Christ.