“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
A subtle change is taking place across America in case you have missed it, especially among Christian athletes. I call it, ‘A Grass Roots Jesus Movement.’ Never have there been such bold commitments from athletes sharing their faith publicly as there have been in the last few years. The most recent example is TCU’s Hailey Van Lith after helping send TCU women’s basketball team to the sweet 16 for the first the first time in the school’s history. Van Lith stated during the press conference, “I’m really standing on God’s shoulders right now, you guys, He’s delivered me from so much, man, and so much pain and suffering and confusion. I just — it’s all glory to God, truly. I would be nothing without Him. In the darkest moments of my life, He never turned His face from me, and I just couldn’t be more grateful to experience His love in this moment.” (1) The realization of what God has for her, that it’s all Him and not her, needed to be shared with the world. He is always there no matter what we are going through.
It’s hard to pinpoint when this movement started to pick up steam, but it had to start somewhere. Some mark the Covid 19 pandemic as the beginning of planting these seeds of spiritual growth. Others see the cultural shift in the politics of the nation starting to take root where athletes are no longer intimidated of sharing their faith. Another possibility could be the spiritual revivals that sprung up on college campuses in 2023 filtering down from the weeks long revival started on the campus of Asbury University in Kentucky. Whatever the case, there is a movement today that wasn’t there before, and it is growing.
It is good to see young athletes taking a stand for Christ amid all the chaos and secularization in our major universities. It is more refreshing to see professional athletes serving as role models doing the same, not only inspiring college students but young people of all ages. These Christian athletes are serving the Lord in every professional sport. In the NFL there are quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Patrick MaHomes, C, J. Stroud, and Kirk Cousins, along with running back Christian McCaffrey, and place kicker Harrison Butker, among many others. The NBA has Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, while Major League Baseball has Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Orioles rookie Jackson Holliday and his father former MLB star Matt Holliday, and pitchers Aaron Nola and Zack Eflin and many more. My point is that the list is growing, and we certainly don’t want to leave out single competition athletes such as Olympian Allyson Felix, track and field, young tennis star Coco Gauff, and professional golfer Scottie Scheffler.
Sports have a way of connecting with people and bringing people together. For a few hours personal problems and the problems of the world are masked. But the mask comes off after the game or competition has ended. Perhaps God is using some of these athletes to heal their wounds, give them courage, and show them their need for Jesus Christ. So, I say, let the movement continue to grow. There are a lot of people who are hurting in this world.
(1) TCU’s Hailey Van Lith ‘really standing on God’s shoulders’
Word for the Soul 