As a retired college athlete I have been trying to somehow find a new identity, one that not only portrays who I am but will allow me to be happy. This is a challenge, as several before me can probably attest to. The problem lies in front of every individual, where do I turn to now? Before this, we had a routine about our lives. We would train and train some more, compete and then compete some more. This went on for years and years of our lives and became a part of us inside and out. So naturally the body and the mind need something to fill that void. The mental toughness we used to endure the pain, the ability to take out our anger and our fears in the very practice fields where we spent the majority of our years have not an exact place in our lives at this time. So instead of taking those things up with a ball and hoop and a little aggression we turn to other things in a state of confusion.
Many of us will turn to the bottle to wash away the day’s worries, others will open the fridge in hopes of finding a food that can clear up any concerns we have about life, others will strive to possess the best of everything by making success and riches their new number one goal. And still others will just roam aimlessly, trying one new thing after the next until they have finally found their new niche in life after no longer being known as an athlete. Well I have decided one thing is for sure in my life. I’m turning to something different. I will always be an athlete, but not in the same sense. You see I have struggled immensely in my faith the last several years in college. I would be so sure I was on the right track and then God would throw in a loophole that would put me in a spiritual bind. I gave up at times and turned to things I shouldn’t have for comfort. I tried and tried my best but the temptations of life always pulled me under, and the tragedies I had to persevere were wearing on my heart and soul. But after every downhill slope there is a climb, and the last few months I have been climbing this mountain God has placed in front of me. I have no idea what is in store for me as I slowly propel myself higher but am excited for what is to come. For so long I stood in the valley and stared up at the mountain thinking I would never even attempt to set foot on it so instead I went about my own ways. But I was starving spiritually and very “out of shape” athletically speaking.
I finally realized I am an athlete at heart and God is training me for the biggest event of my life. Eternity. He has been training me all my life and just as I suffered injuries in basketball I must suffer the difficulties of life as well. After every injury there is a state of rehabilitation and if not done properly, what ever was broken, bruised or strained, will not heal correctly. Well, I know I have some broken pieces about my heart and soul and maybe they will never fully recover to as good as new, but I no longer want to just sit on the sidelines and let the game of life pass before my eyes. I am an athlete and want to compete. God is my coach and I am ready to listen. Although I may not agree with all his coaching tactics and his training techniques I must trust in him that he is preparing me to compete and to achieve the ultimate goal we all strive for, greater than any championship ring or trophy; the ability to say we were a Winner in his eyes as he greets us at the gates of Heaven. There are some who, in this game, will naturally succeed and not struggle as much as others, or will not have to work quite as hard in their training. I know I am not one of those. I am one of the chosen that is to be tested repeatedly, to gain full preparation of what is to come. I accept this task God has given me, and know that he trusts me with the game ball in my hands to do the right thing even when it seems the score in life is in favor of the other side.
