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I was reminded this weekend of how faithful God is when things really seem to not be going my way. Saturday I was incredibly honored and touched to be inducted into this years Hall of Fame at Wayne State College. My athletic career at WSC did not start out with roses, but because I gave God my pain, I was fortunate enough to end my career at Wayne with more roses than I could have imagined. The first year of my college volleyball season, I stood on the sideline and watched the 3 other freshman that were in my recruiting class play. Almost every game I held back tears as I stood there on the sideline. I was embarrassed, let down, and frankly, heartbroken. This is not how I pictured my college career to start. Through my tears though, I silently prayed, asking God to not let this be how my athletic career ends. I prayed for miracles! I prayed for Him to make me the BEST college volleyball player Wayne has ever seen. Sophomore season came, and I played a little more but half of my time was still on the sideline. I felt crushed, still, basically begging God to do something but not really sure how anything good could come from this. The summer going into my Junior year, out of the blue I had an idea that I was going to quit volleyball and run track. (Looking back, I know it wasn’t out of the blue, that was a God designed moment.) I instantly felt like weights were lifted off of me. I called my volleyball coach (Coach Kneifl) and asked him if we could talk. He knew what I was thinking before I even said anything. I think he could see the heartbreak that I had felt. But instead of quitting, by the Grace of God and his huge heart, he allowed me to continue to play volleyball but also run track in the offseason. I didn’t become the best volleyball player Wayne ever had, but God did have a different plan. He opened the door to run track where I became a 4-time NCAA All-American. The confidence I gained from track carried over to volleyball and I was a better volleyball player. I gained a track family but I kept my volleyball family and THAT in itself, makes me want to cry because they are still my best friends. I wouldn’t take back the time on the sideline because it stretched how much I trusted God, it made me a fighter and it showed me that no matter what, God will take your pain and do something great with it. This Hall of Fame honor will always remind me of so much more than the awards, but more so the fight- not just the physical fight but the fight of faith. The fight against the devil who tried to tell me over and over my career was over and I was had hit my peak in high school. Thankfully, God has conquered this world, and if you fight with God on your team, you are guaranteed to eventually win. Read: WSCWildcats.com - Four individuals, one team to be inducted into WSC Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend
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 Four months ago, I walked out of the CenturyLink office doors for the last time. As fate would have it, I was able to leave my full time job on positive terms and chase this wild little bobsled journey I started on last year.
I moved to Lake Placid in July to live and train at the Olympic Training Center. To fill up some of my spare time and make some extra cash, I walk a half mile to the Marriott Hotel and work as a barista a few mornings a week. Besides being on high alert on my morning walks because of Mr. Black Bear that keeps being spotted around campus, I love the simple life right now. I focus on getting myself mentally, physically and spiritually in the best place I can be, and it feels so good. It’s amazing what 10 hours of sleep a night can do to a person (I am sleeping before my nieces and nephew most nights! True statement.) There are no guarantees in this athlete life, but there is one thing I can count on, and its Gods plan like Drake says (Ha!). I found myself stressing over which team I would make, if I was strong enough or fast enough, or just plain good enough for this lifestyle. After spending time with God and wanting to enjoy this process, I wrote this on my letter board to look at every day as a reminder: Prepare —> Do the best you can Then say F* it. Gods got it. Really, that’s all we can do in life in any situation. It definitely takes practice - a lot of it - to trust God fully. Still working on that and probably always will be because, I mean, I’m human. If you could squeeze in a prayer for me, I’d appreciate it, and if there is something I can pray for you about, please let me know. XOXO |