During ‘Make Heaven Crowded Tour 2026’, Riley Gaines shared her favorite Bible verse has been Romans 8:18 since she was “a little bitty” kid in church: *“our present sufferings aren’t worth comparing to the glory” ahead.
She first related it to swimming — the hard practices were the “suffering,” and the “glory” was winning. But she said the verse means even more to her now.
Today, the “present sufferings” are online attacks and people calling her names, even saying “maybe you should have swam faster.” She joked, “genius, I actually never thought of that.”
Still, she said it all “pales in comparison” when you know “who you’re fighting for.” When people ask her “how do you do it?” she answers, “easily,” because she has peace knowing she’s holding onto “the hope and the promise of eternal life.”
She said real happiness isn’t in this world — and she wishes more people would “come in and listen.”
