Life was moving forward for me...I was extremely involved in high school. Had a lot of friends...played soccer and basketball...was in band, show choir and the musicals...very involved at church...I loved Jesus...but something else had become my god...something else took 1st place in my life.
As I shared yesterday...started to play basketball in 8th grade really opened things up for me...the problem is, bball became my focus. I would practice and play pick-up games whenever and wherever I could...I would pour my life into the game. I LOVED IT! In the summers I would play 3-5 hours a day...if I had a bad game, we'd shovel off the driveway and practice in the middle of the winter.
My big break was coming...I was a junior and starting varsity...I couldn't wait for the season to start. I was coming off of a great soccer season and had already talked with the soccer coach at Grace College about playing goalie there...then it happened...I was in a game and #35 from Northwestern cut out my knees...I heard the pop...hobbled to the free-throw line...then pulled myself out of the game. When I went to the doctor he thought it wasn't too bad...thought it was just a hamstring injury. (Oops!) So we rehabbed it and I went back out and started practicing...Then on Pearl Harbor Day it happened...my knee collapsed and I knew it was bad...ended up tearing my ACL and the doctor wouldn't do the surgery because my growth plate wasn't closed...I was done...oh sure...I tried to play again the next year...but my knee kept going out...
I WAS DEVASTATED! Everything that was important to me at the time was taken away...I dreamed of playing college sports...I LOVED playing basketball and soccer and spent most of my time doing it! Sports had become my focus...the #1 thing in my life...only now it was gone...now what?!
My life verse...Romans 8: 28 (see yesterdays post for details!) came into play again...because God took the mess and made something better! What I thought was my "loss" ended up being one of the most significant life changing POSITIVE moments of my life. God was about to take what I thought (as a 16 yr old) was devastating and give me a detour to a profession! My focus went off of me and onto him...and then he started to open doors with music and church! I love thinking back to this story...how difficult a time it was...yet God had a plan...he knew EXACTLY what he was doing and how he was going to use this for his and my good!
Today...I am THANKFUL that on Pearl Harbor Day 1989. God put an end to my dreams of playing sports in college...but he turned my eyes toward him and began to open new doors! This may sound a bit strange...but my daily knee pain is a vivid reminder of God's faithfulness and that he has our best interest in mind! Crazy, huh? He uses pain to reveal his blessing!
No comments:
Post a Comment