“Soccer has always been a big part of my life. If games went well, I was on top of the world; if games went poorly, I was at the bottom. My dream has always been to play professionally, so even at a very early age, my sights were set on success.
“I’ve been blessed to see fruitful Christian lives all around me as I grew up. I watched as my parents, sister, and amazing young men at Watermark pursued faithful, godly lives. And yet, while I was very involved in student ministries, my heart did not reflect it.
“In college, things changed very, very quickly with no family or accountability around me. I caved to my fleshly desires with little to no conviction. I had inappropriate dating relationships, struggled with lust, and drank alcohol underage with my older teammates to fit in.
“Yet I still put on a front that I was a Christ follower. I went to church and Bible study—sometimes I didn’t even know why. I just felt like it was the ‘right’ thing to do.
“Faithfully, God was in every detail.
“It was at Bible study that I started to see older believers on my team who lived lives I didn’t even think were possible in college. They shared deeply about their faith and why they lived their lives for Christ.
“My heart started to change when I heard in a sermon that I would never be able to fully enjoy Christ if I wasn’t fully surrendered to him, and I could never fully enjoy the world if part of me still wanted to follow Christ.
“Around this same time, my college roommate who was a believer shared a C.S. Lewis quote with me that says, ‘Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.’
“I realized I was trying to make God a part of my story, not living my life as a part of God’s story. I had become so tired of trying to satisfy myself with my flesh desires and sin that had so easily entangled me. I had to surrender the sinful desires that can’t coexist with Christ.
“Finally, I decided I was ready to go all in with Jesus. I understood that this would be a daily decision, not just for camp or worship or attending church with my teammates or family.
“I believe that God sent his only Son to die on the cross for my sins, and that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is the only possible way for me (who deserves wrath for my sin) to be connected with a perfect, holy God and have assured salvation (John 5:24).
“From this decision, I found two things: fulfillment and purpose. Through Scripture and prayer, I found a sense of fulfillment I’d never felt before in my entire life. I found purpose from God to glorify him in everything I do and make disciples.
“In December, I felt the call to transfer to Dallas in pursuit of playing professional soccer. I immediately called my friend at SMU and told him I was looking for a Christ-like community as soon as possible. God faithfully built a team of believers around me through a mentor, a roommate who was also a believer, and Watermark’s college ministry. With them, I began openly confessing sin, spending time in prayer, asking spiritual questions, and learning how to share God’s Word with others.
“The only time I’ve ever felt satisfaction was when I put my whole life in Christ. For the first time, I am waking up every day with peace knowing that my identity is found in him. It’s not in what people think of me or how I play in a game. I believe trusting Christ was the best decision I’ve ever made.”