What I Learned From a College Athlete

I remember the first time I heard the statement. Coming from a young man so alive, caring and entertaining. But a man of few (if any) words when it came to talking about his sport, his accomplishments, his abilities. At game time, he simply said, “Time to represent.”

Sure…it was time to represent his school in the game. But, I knew he meant so much more by the statement.

Each time he experienced success on the field, he immediately shifted the spotlight to the One who had given him the opportunity and ability to play. Each failure he experienced on the field, he took and quietly dealt with…trying to discern the purpose for it in God’s bigger picture for his life. He brought “humility” to life for me.

When he said those 3 words, I knew he was representing more than his school to the thousands of fans watching.

Recently, I’ve become keenly aware of the lesson he modeled for me. And how painfully short I fall of following his example.

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Something has been eating at me for months.

Several years ago, my church was exploring the possibilities of relocating and building a new facility. I remember there being a lot of discussion about which part of town we should choose. Many felt we should move to the heart of the new development in town. Some suggested moving near the major highway running through town. Some mentioned that we should choose a spot with a high elevation…making the church visible to the town. Most agreed that we needed to establish a presence in the community with our new facility. Our visibility was central to most of the discussions.

We built the 15+million dollar building on a high point in the city and attached a gigantic steeple in a special steeple-raising ceremony. Church members arranged their lawn chairs on the church grounds for a front row view as a crane lifted the steeple into place. The job was massive…taking nearly all day. The local TV station was present for coverage of the ceremony. The congregation was joyful.

The steeple…highly visible…allowing the church to be easily spotted by those who were searching…making an unspoken statement to the city that God and His people were alive and well…drawing the eye heavenward.

The steeple. Representing our faith to the community.

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Fast forward 7 years. I can say without a doubt, we accomplished our goal of visibility.

I see the steeple when I pull out of my driveway each morning. I see it from the school parking lot while I wait for my son every afternoon. I see it when I walk to my car after shopping. I see it from the highway. It seems to be “in my face” all the time.

The irony.

It serves as a constant reminder of brokenness, hurt, deception. Not exactly what we had in mind.

At the steeple-raising ceremony, one of the ministers was interviewed and this is what he said:

"This is marking a very significant time for us and setting the steeple on this new facility puts the finishing touches on the outside of the building when we've got a lot of work still to do inside.”

I doubt he realized how much truth there was in his statement.

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So I’ve been thinking of the young college athlete.

Few words.

No pomp.

“Reppin” with his actions.

I prefer his way of representing…over the steeple.