When I think about my favorite moments, experiences, and feelings from the past nineteen years of my life, a large majority have to do with soccer. The feeling of being completely exhausted, drenched in sweat after conditioning. The pregame huddle, adrenaline pumping through your veins, heart racing. The feeling of walking off of the field knowing you absolutely sold out and have nothing left to give.
Maybe that seems superficial to you, but soccer has been a huge part of my life. I have spent countless hours dedicated to the sport. Actually, I’ve spent fourteen years of my life dedicated to it.
But it hasn’t just been a game. It has gone above and beyond those limits. I have learned more through soccer than anything else. It has been my lifeline. It has been my happy place. When I’m on the field or have a ball at my feet, I feel alive. I feel completely at home and comfortable.
I could go on forever about soccer, all that it has done for me, and how it really is the greatest sport (obviously not biased). But it all really comes down to one word: passion. I have an incredible passion for the game. It’s something I have been passionate about as long as I can remember. God has graciously gifted me with the ability to play and I’ve enjoyed every second of that gift.
And now I get to use it for His glory more than ever.
For two weeks, we get to hold a soccer camp. It’s an open invitation and anyone can come. There have been around 40+ kids that show up to the dirt soccer “field,” set down in the slums of Guatemala City, to play and learn. I help run the drills, teach the kids, and play alongside them.
I am in heaven.
This is my element.
This is what I live for.
Not only do I love to play the game, but I love to teach the game. I’ve always been drawn to coaching and have a natural instinct to help others learn and guide them in that. This is exactly that.
I am in absolute awe of this ministry experience. I am overwhelmed with love from God. He has given me the opportunity to share my knowledge and abilities to kids who don’t have them. I get to wake up every morning and do what makes my heart happy.
I never would have thought I’d be running a soccer camp on the Race. Yet here I am. And I am beyond humbled.
God is too good to me. I can barely grasp the fact that this is what He has put right in front of me. I can barely come to terms with the fact that I get to spread His love and joy doing what I know best; that He is allowing me to use this piece of my life to bring His Kingdom into this place.
Something I’ve naturally been thinking about is how, for me, the Race is actually a lot like the game.
The pregame huddle with adrenaline running through your veins and your heart racing? That was launch.
That was the night before we all left to go out to the nations. That was the overwhelming joy, excitement, and nervousness of actually leaving. It was the passionate willingness of everyone’s hearts set on fire. It was the freedom coursing through our entire beings, ready to get out into the world. It was the electricity you felt bouncing around the room from people completely consumed by and walking in God’s authority.
The 90 minutes of straight battle during the game? That’s the journey.
That’s the nine (or eleven) months of living out what we prepared for. The offensive attacks of bringing the Kingdom and shining God’s light. The defensive battles of choosing to die to yourself every day, and push into any and all pain you face. That’s looking at those around you, knowing you’re all living for the same purpose. It’s the battle I’m living as you read these very words.
The feeling of walking off of the field knowing you sold out? That’s the return.
That’s the moment that seems so far away right now. That’s walking away from your final country knowing that you gave all that you had. That you sold out the past nine months and gave every last piece of yourself. That’s knowing that you squeezed every moment out of every experience. That you poured your entire being into the plan God laid out for you. That you owned your Race. You didn’t just settle for an experience, you made it your life.
I think about soccer and am beyond thankful that the Lord gave me something to be so passionate about and in love with. Yet that passion and love is so small in comparison to what I feel towards Him. It’s miniscule in comparison to the love I’m learning to have for the life He has for me.
Relating the game to my journey makes sense to me. I get it. It clicks. God has been speaking to me through a language I completely understand, revealing part of His will for my nine months:
“I want you to run this Race like you play the game.”
“Yeah God, I want that.”
I want to be overwhelmed with an intense desire to fight for the people beside me and for the name written on our hearts. I want to battle for His name. I want to sell out for Him. I want to pour my entire being into the people and experiences He places in my pathway. I want to battle every minute of every day for the sake of His goodness. I want to bring honor and glory to Him alone.
The only difference? The game ends, the Race ends, but life doesn’t. Following Jesus doesn’t end. I want to choose to go about life in the same manner. Because it’s not just a game, it’s not just a nine month Race.
It’s a lifetime journey that will never end.
Where is God calling you to sell out for Him? How is He asking you to step into life and not just the experiences?
