Bottom of the Ninth #21 - Humility
by Justin Falls, Outfielder, Senior Valor Christian High School
When I came to Valor, I had high hopes and high dreams for success in sports. Everyone I knew from surrounding schools had heard that our football program was the best and I was ready to be a first year starter, and the envy of everyone. I was focused on myself and did not know how to work hard or how to work for God. I pictured myself being the guy to have the game winning interception or the guy to come down with the game winning catch in the bottom of the 9th. Little did I know that focusing on myself really was going to hurt me and ruin my freshman year in the sports that I loved. I was unaware of what God says in Matthew 23:12,
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
This was the case for me and the Lord humbled me and worked in my life in a way I had never imagined. October came around and with it came the homecoming football game, Valor vs Rock Canyon. I broke my femurin that game, the biggest and most painful bone in the body. I was humbled in more ways than one! When my femur broke, the clearest memory I have from the injury was an out of body experience (maybe that was because of the pain killers) in which I was watching myself as I was screaming and yelling for help. Breaking my femur and watching myself that way woke me up to how I saw God's love for me and how I needed to love and respect him more. I realized that when God gives us success, the glory is all to him and was not my own. As I worked at rehabilitating my leg, I had to notice the small things in my body, which made me thankful for how God made me and what a blessing it is just to walk and run.
Time flew by, I wasn't able to attend school for a month and had to sit out from workouts, but soon spring came. The Lord blessed me with a spot on the varsity team even at 75% of my strength. All in all, this experience made me thankful for life, thankful for my teams and thankful for my talents. God does everything for a reason, and I am thankful for His plan for my life.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13