07/29/2025
Most of us have experienced the thrill of accomplishing certain goals, aspirations, or pursuits. We graduated from college, landed that job, bought that new house, received that promotion, finished that project, made it to retirement.
And then comes the sixteenth second.
In the book When Your Way Isn’t Working, the author tells the story of Kyle Martin, who, in the spring of 2021, delivered the valedictorian speech at his high school graduation. In his speech, he recounted the work, sacrifice, and effort he had put into earning the highest GPA in his class. He climbed the highest mountain set before him at that stage of his life, and when he learned he won the coveted title, “Valedictorian,” he said,
It’s so good, for about 15 seconds. Yeah, 15 seconds of my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping. 15 seconds of “Yeah, I won!” 15 seconds of being at the top of the pile of all my accomplishments, and it felt euphoric. But there must come a 16th second. And on that 16th second, I sat down on my seat, I looked at my silver stole that says valedictorian, and I thought, “That’s it? What just happened? Why am I not feeling anything else?” (p. 108)
This is a phenomenon similar to that experienced by Olympic athletes, as conveyed in the 2020 documentary, The Weight of Gold. Michael Phelps takes a long look at life after the Olympics and describes a valley of fatigue after success on the mountaintop. He explains that 80% of Olympians experience a post-Olympic depression. They’ve trained their entire lives for that one moment, and when the moment is over, then what?
And then comes the sixteenth second.
The older I get, the more I am convinced that we need to look at life as a journey that includes mountaintops, valleys, and long stretches of plateaus laid out before us. Therefore, our life’s aim is not to make it to the top but to develop a life-long connection with our Savior, Jesus, who is with us on the climb to the mountaintop, the fifteen seconds of being there, and the sixteenth second and beyond.
Our identity is not in achievement, success, or productivity (or the lack thereof). Our identity is in the One who created us, loves us, and gave His life for us. Jesus’s call for the believer is to come to Him, all who are weary and heavy laden (Matthew 11:28). Remain in Him, and He also will remain in us (John 15:4). He calls us to be with Him, and then He sends us out (Mark 3:14).
If you have ever experienced the euphoria of the mountaintop, the darkness of the valley, or the boredom of the plateau, know that who you are is not encapsulated in any of those life moments. Who you are is given to you by Jesus who longs to be with you every step of the way, whether it’s the fifteen seconds on the mountaintop, or when you step into the sixteenth second and beyond.
