What has God done for you?

At a recent FCA meeting I was asked a question by a junior high student that I have been giving some thought. The student asked me "how has being saved helped you in on the court", this question made me think about another question many people have, "What has God done for me". Aside from the obvious answer EVERYTHING, being saved and getting involved in his word has shaped me into a completely different person.

One thing I want to clarify about this post is our path to know Christ and become closer with Him should NEVER be about "What can God do for me?", or "What will I get out of this?”. Accepting Christ as our savior and knowing God sent his son to die for all of our sins should be a direct motivation to do everything for him, not what he should do for us now that we have "accepted" him.

1 Theselonians 4:1
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, Just as you are doing, that you do so more and more,

With that being said, the changes that we make for Him by studying His word directly effect the person we are. We are able to see things in a different light and appreciate things through a mindset based around Him. So asking what God has done for me is based off of how the Gospel has shaped me to react to things in my life.

Perception

Everything that I have achieved, received, or dealt with is based off of my perception of what God has done for me since I have been saved. I have been able to deal with almost all of my hardships and arising obstacles in my life with a new sense of meaning. In the past I would see adversity and wonder why is this happening to me, "I'm a good person", now I face this same situation and know that God has a purpose for this, that in the end this adversity will draw me closer to him. Each time he presents an obstacle in my life I try and tackle it as a step in faith. If I know and believe this, then I also know that God will provide me with the tools to handle this task and come out a "better" Christian.

Romans 5: 3-4
3 More than that, we rejoice in our suffereings, knowing that suffereing produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

On the court

Back to the original question of "how has being saved helped me on the court?” When things don't go my way on the court or different circumstances arise dealing with basketball I don't put as much stock into why is this happening to me, or feeling like it's the end of the world because of these circumstances. Let's say I don’t get as much playing time as I expected or feel I should get more, I look at that and realize it's not my time or God has a different purpose for me. God has placed me in a position in college where lots of people look up to me and see me as a leader or a representation of our community and college. I am able to use this platform to spread the Grace of God. Many of you reading this blog may only know about it because you know me as a college athlete. So for any of you young Christian athletes, know that if things don't go your way on the court or field that God has a purpose for this and that His timing is perfect.

In closing, know that when situations arise, tackle all of them knowing that God has placed them in your life to draw you closer to Him and to glorify Him. If your approach is backed by that belief then you will see all the glory that God has provided.