“Therefore I do not run like a man running
aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and
make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified for the prize.”
- 1
Corinthians 9: 25-26
These
words have always carried significant meaning for me as an athlete and a
Christian. Growing up a fairly talented athlete, I always put a lot of pressure
on myself. Each year, before my lacrosse and field hockey seasons started, I
would have to run a timed mile with my team.
People always stressed out
about making their times – I was no exception.
Every
season I came in first on the timed mile, but because of it, I always put extra
pressure on myself. It got to the point
that I felt paralyzed for weeks leading up to the race. People’s high expectations for me just seemed
to make things worse. Then one day I stumbled upon the verse above.
It
helped me realize that there is a lot more to being an athlete than menial run
tests and games. Instead, all the mental
and physical pain that I endure on a daily basis is all part of a bigger
picture. The key part of the verse is,
“after I have preached to others…” Sports have given me a platform that I would
not otherwise have to do this, and I now know that what I do is meaningless if
I only do it for myself.
In
Curtis Martin’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech, he told a story about the day
he was drafted by the New England Patriots. He said that as soon as he hung up
the phone and turned around, he said, “Oh my gosh, I don’t want to play
football...I don’t even know if I like football enough to make a career out of
it.” His pastor told him, “Maybe football is just something that God is giving
you to do all those wonderful things that you say you want to do for other
people.”
Afterwards,
that completely changed Martin’s perspective on football and allowed him to
have an incredible playing career. As he
moved the audience to tears with his speech, it was clear that his pastor was
right. Football was Curtis Martin’s
platform to do the good things he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do.
While
I will never have the visibility that Curtis Martin had as an NFL star, that
doesn’t mean that sports cannot be my platform to do good in the world. Notre
Dame Athletics has opened up many opportunities for me to work with kids and
spread the gospel through sports. Specifically, I have been able to do this
with my involvement with Hope Ministries’ homeless shelter in downtown South
Bend. If it was not for lacrosse, I
would never have even known about this amazing charity.
Just
like coaching is a ministry, being an athlete is about ministering as well. So
while I still stress out about sports and competition, I think this verse
helped me realize that there is a lot more to sports than winning and losing
games or races. With only selfish
motives, sports will end up leaving you empty.
But if you look at it with the perspective of a ‘1st
Corinthian Champion’ you will receive a bigger prize than any championship win
could bring you.
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