Shelly Shafer - Golf

I was…

I was fearful and anxious. I grew up playing golf with my dad since I was 12 and I loved it. I loved being able to go out with him and just play and compete against each other for fun and just have that quality time with him. As I got older into junior high and high school, I figured out that I wanted to play golf in college, so I really started focusing more into it and it became a fear for me that I wouldn’t be good enough to play, wondered who would want me to play for them and where I would end up. Then once I got to my freshman year of college, I had the same feelings because I felt like I had to prove myself to be the best and felt like I was never able to spend enough time on golf. If I had a bad tournament, I thought people viewed me differently or would think that I was actually this horrible golfer and that I didn’t deserve to be playing college golf. Because I built up these fears and anxiety it made me associate the game that I loved with fear and anxiety instead of being able to just enjoy the game and the talent that God gave me.

But Christ…

Christ had plans for me all along and I never had to worry. He showed me the way I should go and led me down the right path and brought me to IWU for a reason. He has done many things in my life through my college experience and my golf experiences. Golf has taken me to so many new places and I’ve gotten to experience God’s beauty through all of it. He has also shown me that I am more than just my golf game and that golf is just one part of my life and that I get to enjoy the journey that I am taking with it.

And now…

I view golf as something I do because I love it, just like when I was 12. I see how amazing it is that God gave me the talent for golf that He did and that no matter how I play, it doesn’t change who I am in His eyes.

Life Verse

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

Challenge to Other Athletes/Coaches

Praise God no matter how good or bad your performance is and thank Him for giving you the ability to be able to do what you do. Know that he gave you your talent and ability for a reason and it’s unique to you. Also, take time to not only pray for and with your teammates, but pray for the other competitors as well and maybe even ask them if you can pray with them at the end of your match or game.