For anyone that knows me, you know that volleyball has been my life as long as I a can remember… over half of my life basically was dedicated to practices, games, tournaments, miles and miles of traveling, blood, sweat, bruises.. oh the bruises, tears, big wins, big losses, heartbreaks, heartwarming friendships, and I could go on and on. Coming into my senior season, I knew it was all coming to an end sooner that later… weather I liked it or not. I was determined to make it a season I would never forget. All I wanted was to win conference and make it to the NCAA tournament. That was all I could think about constantly. As a little girl, this was all I thought about going into college… I wanted to play division one and make it to the big dance.
Little did I know what was to come… Coming off of a record breaking season for our school last year, I honestly thought the wins would come naturally and we would be better than ever before. About one month into the season, I realized this was all very wrong. The ups and downs and adversities as a team that we were facing were trying. It felt like we couldn’t catch a break. We were being torn down by injuries and conflicts and it just felt like we couldn’t do anything to turn it around. The day before our first conference game we lost an amazing senior, player, and one of my best friends to a Achilles tendon rupture. I remember us all crying for her and praying together. No one understood why God was throwing so many curve balls at us and why that had to be a part of her plan. But we all came together and realized that every championship team has a story and this would just have to be a part of it. I felt like giving up so many times but somehow every time God gave me the strength to keep going.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
I remember reading this verse so many times during the season and thinking, “well maybe this amazing last season is not in Gods plans for us…” I prayed and cried and prayed some more and then the very last weekend of our season, something amazing happened.
We were going into the conference tournament (the last weekend of play you must win to make it to NCAAs) very unsure of what was to come. Not only was this season so rocky, it was my last chance to get to play the game I love, but it was being hosted on our home court. So much was riding on this weekend and the anxiety I felt was unbearable. I felt like my life was about to all crash down. It is crazy how little it all seems now in the big picture of life. I remember the night before we played, I opened my bible and read this:
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16
Reading this made me realize so much so quickly. God knew exactly what would happen that weekend. Everything was planned out far before I was ever even on this earth! There was no reason for tears and definitely no reason for anxiety. God had complete control the whole time and knows exactly what he was doing. Not only that, but he FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made me. I had nothing to be scared of. God loves me so much that he wonderfully made me and you. I walked into the tournament with so much more confidence knowing that God was holding my hand through it all.
But to make a long story short, we ended up beating No.4 seed Sam Houston State first round, No.1 seed SFA second round, and then then we won it all against University of Central Arkansas in the championship, taking the title for the first time in school history ever of Southland Conference Champions. With tears running from all of our eyes, not knowing weather to laugh or cry, I think we would all agree that all the glory goes to God. We would not have been able to do such an amazing thing with out our crazy season of adversity and this wonderful fairytale story that was all a little piece of God’s amazing plan for us.
Something great our coach wrote for us before we played was this, “I believe that every opportunity I get, I must play with heart because I love this sport, love my team, and love this program, and love this university. I have been given a gift to have the ability to play this game at a very high level and to do anything less with this gift is to dishonor He who graced me with it.” I love this and think it is something any athlete should keep in mind. This is not our gift, but His.
Thinking back to this chapter of my life, I miss it. I miss it so much that sometimes it brings tears to my eyes knowing that is over. But I can also smile now, knowing that it is all so simply laid out perfectly in God’s hand. He knows exactly what is to come so the future is nothing to fear! It makes me excited to see what God has in store for me on the World Race. God is so faithful and I trust that he will guide my paths all across the world as I spread his amazing love!
