Well by every reckoning, it’s been a remarkable Olympics for team GB. At the time of writing, we have 15 ‘golds’ and (I still find it hard to take it) we are in second place, just below the United States. It’s an amazing achievement, and a wonderful testimony to the skill and dedication of athletes and coaches as well as the millions of lottery funds dedicated to British sport over the past few years.

But it would seem that the true ‘gold standard’ has been set this year by one amazing human being rather than a collective nation state. I’m referring, of course to Michael Phelps. The American legend has finally bowed out with 28 medals (23 of them gold) after making his debut way back in 2000. “This is how I wanted to finish my career,” he said. “I’ve lived a dream come true.”

But it nearly didn’t finish this way because not long ago, Phelps revealed that he had seriously considered suicide. For in recent years, Phelps’s life was not so much a dream come true as a terrible nightmare.

Phelps ‘hit rock bottom’ after getting arrested for drink-driving on September 30, 2014 - marking his second DUI arrest within 10 years. Shortly before his arrest, a controversial photo had also emerged showing him smoking an illegal substance.

“I was a train wreck,” he said. “I was like a time bomb, waiting to go off. I had no self-esteem, no self worth. There were times when I didn’t want to be here. It was not good. I felt lost.”

But at that moment, a friend turned up and his friendship saved his life for Christian NFL star Ray Lewis persuaded Phelps to enter rehabilitation. More importantly, he convinced him that it would be wrong to give up, and in so doing gave him a copy of a book that proved life-changing. For when Phelps went to rehab, he was carrying a copy of The Purpose Driven Life, written by American pastor Rick Warren.

A few days later, Phelps told Lewis: “Man, this book is crazy! The thing that’s going on…oh my gosh…my brain, I can’t thank you freaking enough, man. You saved my life.” And in a recent interview with ESPN Magazine, Phelps explained that this Christian book ‘turned me into believing there is a power greater than myself and there is a purpose for me on this planet.’

Since then, Phelps has been reconciled to his estranged father, has married his long-term girlfriend and become the proud father of a lovely little boy. Is it any wonder then, that one Christian commentator has said: “Michael Phelps’s story is a reminder that no matter how big a mess your life may be, and no matter how dim the last embers of hope may glow, God is still there. It’s also a reminder of the role that God’s people are called to play as bringers of hope and agents of restoration.”

Now we could argue that Michael Phelps was designed to become an Olympic champion. He has a disproportionately large wingspan (extended arms), huge feet (size 14) and they reportedly bend 15 degrees further at the ankle than most other swimmers (ready made flippers?). But true as that may be, Michael Phelps has discovered something we’d all do well to discover: we have been created to know God and to enjoy the blessings that inevitably flow from that.

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]