As I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline, I stumbled upon a video clip of an interview with Tim Tebow in which he was describing how he juggles his charity work and athletic career. He began talking about pressure and how we can’t even compare the pressure in a game of sports and the pressures of life. There are people out there who are suffering and hurting, and our pressures on the field are incomparable to these experiences. He continued to say that he can handle the pressure of sports knowing that sports like football and baseball are just a game.
It may be because I am a graduating senior or that I can count the number of softball games on two hands I have left to play, but the words that Tim Tebow spoke really resonated with me. My future is right in front of me, and it will no longer involve competitive softball. After this season is over, I have to find new experiences, hobbies, and pressures.
Tebow commented on how we can pursue sports, and we can give so much of our time, energy and effort to them, but we are so much more than just athletes. He says, “I know that’s not why I’m here, that’s not my biggest purpose, it’s not my biggest calling. It’s not how I want to be known in my life.” Personally, I’ve come to this same realization. Once my athletic career is over, it’s over. God didn’t call me to be an athlete and only an athlete. There is a much bigger reason for my creation, and I know that there are other ways in this world that I can share God’s love. I do believe, however, that God gives us talent as a gift. How we use this talent is our way of giving back to God. Softball has given me a way to worship and thank Him.
I am not defined by my being an athlete. It may be part of how I identify myself, but I am capable of so much more than fielding a ground ball or hitting a line drive. So on the days that I don’t get a single hit in the game or I make an error in the field, I need to remind myself that there are far greater worries in the world. I had a coach who always wanted us to put our struggles into perspective. She would always ask, “Compared to what?” What made our worries or our struggles so much worse than someone else’s who isn’t as fortunate? It’s hard to fall to the pressure in sports, but athletes need to remember that sports are still a game that has a beginning and an end, and your life goes on once it’s over.
Yes, I am an athlete; but I am also a Christian, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend, a student, and so much more. Sports have been a way for me to share my faith and beliefs with others just as they have been for Tim Tebow as well, but sports are not what I am called to do. I may not yet know God’s purpose in creating me and putting me exactly where I am in life, but I do know that I am not called to be an athlete. I have enjoyed my time playing, and I will never forget all of the memories and the lessons I’ve learned along the way; but I will remind myself that my worth is not defined by a sport, and my purpose is so much greater in God’s eyes.
