The Heart of a Champion

Playing with Heart

As an athlete at the University of Tulsa, I learned so much about the game of football and even more about life. One particular day after walking off the practice field, Randy Lewis was waiting for me. “How was practice?” Randy asked. My first thought was,practice is practice, and I wish I could have spent the afternoon doing something else. However, out of respect for Randy, I told him what he wanted to hear.

“Practice was awesome,” I said, “and we are ready for this weekend’s game!” I knew Randy was interested in practice, because he was unofficially the biggest football fan on campus. Not only that, but he suffered from a severe case of cerebral palsy and would never play the game of football. He would never wear football pads, break the huddle or make a big play–I knew in that moment that football was his dream.

That evening as I reflected on Randy and his love for the game, I realized that being an athlete is an incredible gift. I had been given the gift of football and Randy had not. Randy had many other gifts and talents, such as playing the piano and painting, but he would never experience what athletes get to do every day.

Realizing I had been given a gift changed everything for me. I grew to be grateful for the talent and the opportunity to play. I wanted to work harder at practice and in the weight room to develop my gift. Playing for a bigger purpose allowed me to feel God’s pleasure. For me, it was no longer about playing football! It was much bigger than that and I was going to play with the right heart.

Do you realize the gift you have been given as an athlete? The Bible calls it a special gift in 1 Peter 4:10: “as each one has received a special gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the manifold Grace of God.”

May you begin today to play for the right reason. You have a gift!

The Heart of a Champion is a regular column written by Donnie Dee, the Chief Operating Officer for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. If you are interested in FCA at your school then please contact Leslie Kemp at lkemp@fca.org or 760-720-0341