My first fall playing collegiate Division I volleyball went exactly as I imagined. We ended up conference champions and competed in the NCAA tournament. It was smooth sailing. Though classes were difficult and I was homesick, I felt at home, because the volleyball court was the same 900 square feet it had always been. My second year started like the first. However, six starters had graduated. After our first win, the season disintegrated. As a sophomore, I could no longer hide behind the older players. Suddenly that 900 square-foot court didn’t look as familiar. We began that season as conference champions and ended with a 5-25 record. At the season’s end, all I could think about was my failure as a player and anger at the game. Later I understood that God had deliberately sought my submission. Proverbs 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” I hadn’t trusted God. I had trusted my abilities, teammates, and coaches.

The Bible tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Although we cannot rely on the outcome of games or seasons, we can rely on God. Hebrews 13:5b states, “Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’”