Bryce Lenz - Baseball

I was…

Blind, sheltered, and naïve. I grew up in a Christian home with loving parents and great role models constantly surrounding me. My intake of the gospel growing up was like being spoon-fed as a baby. I was accepting of the truth, but I didn’t want to get my hands dirty and experience it firsthand. Part of this attitude was conceived by my lack of knowledge as a kid. I was unaware of how raw the world was outside of my comfortable little life.

What I didn’t understand is that God wants a real, tangible relationship with me, each and every day, not something where I get to hang out with Him once a week on a Sunday at church or at youth group. Growing up, my faith was not my own. My parents held my hand through every step I took, and I was unable to see that the rock I needed was not in a good role model, but in Christ.

But Christ…

Lifted the burden off my shoulders. I remember the exact moment my eyes were opened, and I began to truly own my faith. I had the opportunity to physically lay down my worries, my sins, my fears, and my insecurities at the foot of the cross one night at youth group. The moment I engaged in this, I felt free. Processing what I had just done, I realized that I could live through Christ each and every day instead of on my own. Although I was baptized at a young age, I would consider this to be the moment I truly became a follower of Christ and I have walked with Him since that day.

And now…

God continues to open my eyes to new truths each and every day. No one on Earth will truly grasp a complete understanding of God and His mystery. I have been blessed with an incredible group of guys on the baseball that I surround myself with. They have helped me through some of the toughest times in my life, emotionally and spiritually. Looking back to when I committed to play baseball here at IWU, I was pretty clueless in my decision. I love the school and the community, but I didn’t understand why God put me here until I got on campus and have been able to experience life with these guys day in and day out.

Because of the time and effort my teammates have put in to me, I am now in a leadership role on the baseball team, and I am constantly seeking to create pure and healthy environments for our guys. If you were to compare myself today to who I was my senior year of high school, you would think we were two completely different people. I can feel God working in me to reveal His glory and grace on and off the field.

Life Verse

Matthew 6:26-27

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father fees them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Challenge to Other Athletes/Coaches

Set yourself free from the binding generalizations of athletics. Don’t place all your focus on statistics. Don’t get caught up in the speed of the game. Breathe, and live to play through Christ for his glory. It’s pretty easy to get lost in success at a campus with 18 dominant athletic programs. Put in the work and trust in yourself and your team to play to the best of your ability, and I guarantee you good things will happen.

Players and athletes, seek the chance to thank your coaches for everything they do for us at IWU. There is so much they sacrifice in their own lives to help us perfect our craft as well as help us with any personal struggles. We are blessed as athletes to have such amazing coaches. Coaches, make a goal to seek after your players, to know them better, and to continue to guide them through life.

Create groups of friends/teammates to surround yourself with and hold each other accountable. Create a positive culture on your teams and in your daily lives. Live in a way that is pleasing to God and seek out opportunities to make someone’s day. Look at what other programs are doing on campus to create success and integrate that into your own team’s culture. We are all on the same team.

Lastly, don’t be afraid of failure. Being a college athlete isn’t easy; we have a lot on our plate. We are all going to fail in the future at some time or another. It’s a part of the game and a part of life. Learn from these failures and challenge yourself to grow from them.