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One of the most powerful truths God has rooted in me is that His love is notcontingent on what I do, but on who He is. As an athlete, I’m surrounded by aperformance-based rewards mentality. My entire life I’ve been praised for myaccomplishments in sports. It’s easy to fall into the trap that my worth and value isdependent upon how I perform. But God’s truth states that no amount of success orfailure ever defines who I am. To fully understand this truth is incredibly freeing. Itallows me to compete knowing I don’t need a thing because my heart is secure inwho I am—a child of God. Yes I’ll pursue another Olympic gold with my entire heart;however my heart doesn’t rest upon winning that Olympic medal. It rests upon theone who’s already given me the greatest prize that will never fade (1 Corinthians9:24-27).
The more I experience His heart and great love for me the more I want others toexperience this. During national anthems, I used to think about the game or scan thecrowd and the fun signs. Since becoming a believer, I now use that time for prayer. Ialways pray God uses me as a light and that the glory of God is reflected through me.I know the struggles I’ve gone through in feeling not good enough, never physicallyfit enough, never strong enough, never fast enough and all the other negativethoughts that damage our mind and heart. Therefore, when I stand on that blueline, I’m praying that, with every stride, pass, and shot, people will see the power,strength, and love of the living God at work within me.
Whatever you’re hearing from the media, your family, your friends, teammates, oryou yourself, don’t listen to it. Tune into what God is saying about you: “I love you.”You had the best game of your life? God says, “I love you.” You had the worst game?God says, “I love you.” Whether you score a hundred goals or score in your own net,God is ALWAYS telling you “I love you. You are worthy. You are important. You arevalued and set apart. I am with you and will never leave you” (John 3:16, Deut. 14:2,Jer. 1:9).
