Rachel loves volleyball. Its been her passion and favorite past time since about 4th grade. And she's GREAT at it. She is even attending Evansville University on a full scholarship because she plays so well - but that almost didn't happen... I'm sharing Rachel with you today because she has a great story to tell. A story of dreams dashed and put back together. A story of tears and hope. A story about learning to find your true worth in Christ even when you feel like you might be losing the one thing you've always loved. It goes like this...
"One of the biggest lessons that I have had to learn in life
is that my identity is found in God and God alone. Being an athlete, we are
told constantly that we need to be great, that we should be proud of our
accomplishments, that winning is EVERYTHING. It is very tempting to build an
identity centered on being an athlete, being a winner. I cannot get rid of the
competitive side of me and say that winning is not important to me, but I have
learned that winning is not EVERYTHING, playing a sport, being an athlete is
not EVERYTHING to me. God has used my athletic experiences in ways that have
taught me that there are much more important things in life such as God and
relationships.
Back
in high school, I knew I wanted to play division one volleyball. I never really
considered any other alternative. My junior year, I felt like God led me to
Evansville and I committed early in the spring. By my senior year, I was ready
to show everyone how good of a player I was; I wanted everyone to know that I
was going to a division one school and I deserved to be there. Well, instead of
me showing everyone how great I was, God decided to show me how great HE is.
At
my first volleyball tournament of my senior year, my first rotation through the front
row, I went up to hit a ball and landed funny. I heard the loudest pop in my
knee. I fell down clutching my knee, the trainer rushed over and asked if I
wanted to go back to her office or go over to the bleachers. I answered that I
would rather not do either and instead continue playing. I went to take a step
to get back on the court only to have my leg collapse. After a few doctors’
visits and an MRI, I learned that I tore my ACL. I was devastated by this injury.
I had so much riding on my senior season, meaning so much in terms of defining
myself with volleyball. I had a good shot of being named Miss Volleyball, the
highest honor in Michigan for volleyball, I would have made all state 1st
team, and my team had a good chance of going to the state finals—something that
my school had never done being a relatively new school. Well, like I said
earlier, God wanted to teach me something far different. He humbled me and
really began to show me what it meant to find my identity in Him and to trust
that He does have plans to prosper us and not to harm us.
I slowly began to see God’s work
through my injury. Prior to tearing my ACL, a friend had told me to watch a
sermon, a verse in the sermon stood out to me: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 “Be
joyful always, pray continuously and in everything give thanks.” I remember
thinking, oh, I really like that verse and wrote it down. Well, about 2 weeks
later, I was at a Christian concert and again the same verse came up. I
whispered to my mom how much I really liked that verse. Little did I know that
God was trying to tell me something, trying to prepare me. I did not think of
that verse until after I tore my ACL. My mom read to me an e-mail in which her
friend said, “I have been praying for Rachel with her injury and while I was
looking through my Bible, I came across this verse and thought of her…” Be
joyful always, pray continuously and in everything give thanks. Now, how could
I not think that God was trying to show me that He was involved in this injury?
He most definitely was. I wish I could say after hearing God so clearly and
knowing that He was involved that the rehabilitation that my feelings of anger
went away immediately, but it took me awhile to deal with my anger towards God.
Why would he let me be injured?? Those after all were my goals that I had set
for myself from a very early age. But God had a greater picture. He wanted me
to know that I am His beloved child, that I do not need volleyball to define me
because I have Him to define me. My life should be defined by love and how I
treat others, not how many balls I kill each game or how many blocks I have.
It most definitely was not an easy
lesson to learn and one that I continue to need to learn. It is so easy to get
wrapped up in the volleyball world and tell myself how great it is that I am a
division one volleyball player, but my ability to play is a gift from God. A
gift that could be here one day and gone the next. Each time that I play
volleyball, I recognize that God gave me volleyball to use as a talent to
glorify Him."
Now you know why I just adore this girl! :) The above story Rachel shared was written because she was asked to speak at a Bible study in Evansville because of her experience and what she learned. After I read it, I told her I wanted to share it on my blog. I knew I could relate to what she was getting at. I mean I don't play killer volleyball or anything of that sort but I do try and define myself by the kind of mom or woman I am or the kind of professional I strive to be. With all that this world is pounding us with as women (and men), its super easy to be distracted from the Truth and what should really define who we are. Be encouraged this day! Find your worth in Christ! After all, He is all that matters.
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