I love when we get to know a little more about the olympic athletes that are working so hard in the Olympics. They are real people like us, living their real lives amidst all their training and living in the public spotlight. One of the athletes that you will be familiar with is Michael Phelps.
A lot of amazing things have happened to swimmer Michael Phelps in the past few years. He has the honor of being the most decorated Olympian of all time and while you may know a lot about his career, you may not know much behind his personal history.
Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Drive Life” is said to have saved Phelps from committing suicide two years ago. This stemmed from his journey to find his worth outside of the swimming pool.
‘I thought the world would just be better off without me,’ ESPN quoted Phelps as saying. ‘I figured that was the best thing to do — just end my life.’
This lead to a lot of drinking where Phelps found himself with a second DUI in September of 2014. He ended up being suspended from the USA swimming team for half a year. A friend of Phelps, Ray Lewis, stepped in and gave him the book to check out.
With Lewis’ encouragement, the Olympian checked himself into rehab. He became known for reading to other patients in the clinic from the book. It even lead to him making amends with his estranged father.
Rick Warren responded with his full support on the swimmer’s journey to Rio.
‘I’m proud of Michael Phelps for his victories even before the Olympics begin. Excited he’ll be carrying the flag for the US,’ wrote Pastor Warren.
What an amazing testimony Michael Phelps has to share with the world. Yesterday he secured another gold medal to his name for the 400 freestyle relay.
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