Being a Christian athlete in college is much more than just being an athlete or just a Christian. It’s more than believing in God and it's about more than just excelling in your sport. Christian athletes are among a small percentage of college students who...

1. Are playing their sport at a collegiate level

2. Have chosen to walk the rest of their athletic career with Christ.

This small percentage of students are people who I have the utmost respect for. Why?

Being a Christian athlete is not easy. It's not all about praying before a big game, writing a bible verse on your cleats, or wearing a cross around your neck. It’s much more than that. I have realized this as I have begun walking with Christ in my freshman year. It began when I decided to join a teammate to a meeting for an organization called Athletes in Action (AIA). I had been interested in joining a Christian Athlete ministry for I already knew I was about to begin a journey that I could not successfully complete on my own. On that very first day at AIA, I was met with athletes just like me, yet they their souls were afire for Jesus. The Holy Spirit was in that room as the energy was alive and well. I immediately wanted in. These students were not simply athletes but another breed. They were simply not just Christians but believers in what the Lord could do to their skill, strength, and agility.

I must say I was a little intimidated that first day. How could these athletes be so sure that God would give them the strength they needed to endure the things their sport would challenge them with? And if He could, is my faith strong enough to believe it? Yet my ignorant self was forgetting the verse, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:29. I had seen Jesus. I had seen him alive in these athletes. I had seen him actively working inside of these people sitting to the right and to the left of me. They are the proof that Jesus has a special place for college athletes.

I then began my enduring journey to walk with Christ in my athletic career. And like I said before, it is not easy. It is not easy to stop idolizing the rewards of winning and instead simply work for the grace of God. Idolizing the result of a game is useless for your physical body because God has already decided your value, independent of whether or not you win. It is not easy to remain calm during frustrating situations in practice and games. As an athlete you must simply trust that what ever trial the Lord is putting you through, it will benefit your soul. It is not easy to expel all fear out of your life in the most challenging times of endurance. It must always be remembered that “I can do all things through Christwho strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. We are strongest when we give Christ control over our lives, because through him, we have the strength to conquer anything in our path. It is not easy to see the opponent as an equal companion for as an athlete you always tend to see the opponent as an enemy. Rather as Christian athletes we are guided to see the opponent as God’s creation in which we must respect and see ourselves as equals. When we beat our opponent it is easy to see ourselves as better than them, greater than them, stronger than them, superior. The bible clearly states “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” Philippians 2:3. As Christian athletes, we must always remember this, and encourage our teammates to do the same.

And most importantly, it is not easy to always remain at Christ’s side when the grind gets hard. When the 6 a.m. workouts feel like your greatest enemy, when you want to speak against your coaches, when you feel inadequate, when the competition becomes too much, and when the world around you feels father away from the Kingdom of Heaven than ever before. This, for me, is the most challenging part about being a Christian athlete. To say I have walked with Christ during every practice, every lifting session, every conditioning session, would be a lie. To say I have cried out to Jesus every time I feel a pain I can not overcome would be a lie. But to say that my game, my competitiveness, my endurance has been unchanged since I have begun my journey with Christ would be a complete and utter lie. I feel strengthened by His grace, empowered by His mercy, and fulfilled by His love every time I remember everything He has to offer me as a Christian athlete.

As a Christian athlete I play for an Audience of One.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Psalms 46:5