From a very early age sports were always a very important part of my life, especially basketball.  My friends and I were always playing and I would envision myself as the next Michael Jordan.  If you had to describe me you would probably say that I was more of a follower than a leader.  I would do whatever it took to please my friends and to be with the “in” crowd.  This led to a lot of negative things in my life.  I got in trouble at school, I was an underachiever in class and it got me in trouble in other ways as well.  Now when it came to the spiritual area of my life, my mother was always trying to get me to go to church and I went sometimes, but I found that I didn’t understand a lot of what they said and my church didn’t have much in the way of youth activities.  So I wasn’t that interested in being involved.  My dad would quote scriptures to me and even have me memorize some, but it just didn’t make sense to me. 

            When I was 13, I went to Vacation Bible School at my church with my sister.  It was at this time that some of what the preacher had to say began to make sense to me.  Some of the seeds that my mother and father had planted in me started to take root.  I knew that I was being tempted in many ways when I was around my friends, and I felt that I was carrying a lot of burdens.  I decided to put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord and to lay those burdens and temptations on Him.  When I did this I began to feel a sense of peace, and I was finding that I understood more and more of what I heard about how to grow as a Christian.  I started to go to church regularly and I began to feel like I didn’t have to fit in with the crowd.  In a small way I began to realize that God had a special plan for my life and that He was making me into a better person and athlete.  I found that I was more focused in my life.

            Soon after this my Aunt called me and wanted me to lead the altar call for our Youth Sunday Service at church.  My mother and I wrote a prayer, and it was a good one.  As I was getting up to lead the altar call, the Lord spoke to me in my heart and said that I needed to just speak from my heart.  When I did this the Lord used that to touch my heart and others.  He showed me that what I needed was the peace that only He can give, He helped me to see that He is always with me know matter what the situation is in my life and that He will never change.

            Throughout my college experience in athletics, God has taught me a lot through adversity. At the end of my red-shirt freshman year I was on track to be a starter; then I came down with Mononucleosis and was in bed for three weeks.  It was a long recovery process and I went from being a starter to being a backup player.  Through this experience I learned that I had to just give everything to the Lord and rely on Him.  He knows my future and His plan is the best for me.

 
Learn more about God's plan and how to live in Christ.