Kyle Mangas - Basketball

I was…

Hopeless. Before fully knowing the meaning of accepting Jesus Christ, I thought I had everything figured out, but I really didn’t have a clue. I was just going through the motions of life without a purpose. I would feel stressed and worried and didn’t know how to look to God in difficult situations or rejoice in Him for thankfulness. If I sinned, I did not realize the importance of asking for forgiveness. Overall, I was confused about my spiritual beliefs as I did not fully understand who God was.

But Christ…

Gave me hope. When I began to learn more about Jesus and Christianity through other people, a hunger began flowing inside of me. I accepted Jesus as my Savior as I believe He gave us the greatest gift of all: To be saved in eternity. I wanted to learn more, know more, and understand more. Praying helped me establish a personal relationship with God. Reading the Bible helped explain the history of Jesus while showing how He lived and loved others. Fellowship with other people helped me see how others worship God while helping me realize that everyone has their own walk with the Lord. God’s grace, mercy, and power is limitless as He chooses to pursue us even when we go against Him. That is amazing to me and is the basis of my beliefs.

And Now…

I am excited to continue my journey with God. I’m committed to putting my identity in Him and not in worldly things. Keeping a growth mindset is my biggest focus as I want to progress in my spiritual life consistently. As far as being an athlete goes, I want to use my talents to glorify God. Showing humility, being selfless, and playing fearlessly are all qualities I try to display on the court. I am nowhere close to being a perfect person. I definitely have my share of weaknesses and mistakes. However, with God in my life, I feel more purpose and spiritual fire inside of me. I am so thankful for Jesus Christ and proud to share my beliefs with you all.

Life Verse

“For we live by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

Challenge

My challenge for other athletes and coaches is to be intentional about putting your team before yourselves. When you are encouraging and celebrating the success of your teammates/players, the amount of joy the team feels is incredible. Because of human nature, our first instinct is to look inward when something doesn’t go our way and become quiet and selfish. However, as you can see with Jesus, pouring into others helps people rise to new levels. There is something special about seeing your teammate rise to a level of greatness whether that be spiritually or within the sport.