Every athlete is after greatness. But the pursuit is short-lived for many. One petite athlete has been in pursuit for many, many years now. Michelle Kwan won her eighth U.S. title on January 11. She has been in pursuit of greatness for more than 13 years and doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon. Her goal is the next Olympics games in 2006. She is going for more!

Her pursuit of greatness reminds me of another young person who had a similar mission. David also pursued greatness, but for God, not sport. David's desire was to seek after God all his days. Setbacks? Yes, there were some. Defeats? Those, too. But victories? Countless! David knew that the pursuit of greatness was not short-lived. It was a journey — a lifetime battle — but in the end, the reward would be heavenly!

Kwan, like David, has had setbacks along the way, but she keeps pushing ahead. Her reward has been athletic greatness. My hope for Michelle Kwan is that her athletic pursuits do not overshadow her pursuit of God's greatness. It took David a lifetime of ups and downs, but ultimately he won the eternal prize of God's greatness. Will you?