I Don't Play For Myself

God continues to raise me up and humble me at the same time, and it’s so cool to see how He’s working intentionally on my heart and preparing me for His plans for my future.

Last week in our university student center there was a group of students from a local elementary school sitting with a man who was presumably their teacher (they all had matching shirts).

He approached me asking if I played soccer for the university (I was wearing an SFA soccer shirt), and asked if I minded having my picture taken with the kids. My immediate response was, “Of course!” (I love having my picture taken). 

When the man asked the kids if they wanted their picture taken with an SFA soccer player they all jumped up and said sure! Their enthusiasm made me happy. He took our picture, said thank you to me, and I told them to have a nice rest of their day.

This encounter left me beaming. I had the biggest smile on my face as I walked away from these kids. In that moment I was proud of being a collegiate athlete.

If you have talked to me in the past year, you know that I am graduating this December and that my plans after graduation are to train back home in Houston to continue my soccer career professionally overseas.

I would be lying if I told you it has been my dream my entire life to be a professional athlete, because honestly it’s only been my dream for about two years now. Even more honestly, at one point before SFA scouted me, I didn’t even want to play soccer in college. God orchestrated a serendipitous moment when SFA saw me play in a club game in high school I was supposed to miss due to being at an LSU soccer camp. I left that camp a day early, SFA saw me play, and bam - I got an offer I couldn’t refuse to play for a division 1 soccer program.

Encounters like this one, when I get to experience the love younger people have for athletes, makes me so thankful God has given me this talent. It put a little more pride in my head until I started to analyze the encounter later on.

These kids had no idea who I was. They didn’t know my name. They didn’t know if I sat on the bench every game or played every single minute. They didn’t know if I won any personal awards or how long I’ve been on the team. The only thing they knew about me was that I played soccer for a university – and that was enough for them to look up to me.

My pride in myself was shattered when I realized these things, and my affections for the Lord were stirred at the same time. I don’t play soccer for the fame or the awards (even though I often long for these things). God didn’t give me this platform to raise my name up. I play soccer because I love the game and want to give God the glory through the talents He has blessed me with.

I am so thankful that God has given me this platform of collegiate athletics for three and a half years to be a positive example to younger kids and to all who watch me. God has used me here at SFA, and I know He will use me in the next place I go. I have a desire for a bigger platform to share God’s love, so wherever He decides to take me next in life I will treat as a mission field for His purpose. I’m just really hoping it involves playing professionally J

xoRO