My first year playing at Hawaii, I was searching to find true faith and a relationship with God. The people God placed in my life challenged me tremendously to ask questions about my faith and to dive deep into His word for the answers. This photo of my partner and I was snapped during an intense tournament day in Santa Cruz, California. It makes me chuckle now to look back on this photo that I only recently discovered and instantly think of a verse I didn’t even know existed back then: 1 Peter 3:15. He tells us, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
The words “always be prepared” instantly jump out at me. And then my new life motto: “Go all out to be all in.”
First, I think about my life as a Christian and follower of Jesus. I’ve come a long way since my first days in Hawaii in 2015, and I know that I still have so much more progress to make. But how can I “always be prepared” to speak up and give the reason for my hope if I don’t know the promises God has given us in His word? How can I call myself a Christian if I spend 5 minutes a day praying and 20 minutes reading the Bible? I know that the faith I have is not a faith based on works, yet the fruit of my salvation is showing the world that I am a follower of Jesus through my actions.
Second, I think about my life as an athlete and professional beach volleyball player. Transitioning from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball was an insanely hard task, but I was determined to make it work. Practically speaking, there’s no way I can “always be prepared” to win a match if I don’t put in the training. How can I expect to succeed if I only practice twice a week for two hours each? How can I last under the hot sun if I don’t fuel myself properly?
In both these areas of my life, I’ve recently realized the trick: I have to go all out to be all in. We’ve heard the term “All In,” mostly in the athletic world. If we want to succeed, we have to be “All In.” We need to buy in to what our coach tells us and be a great teammate. We have to work hard, eat right, and get enough rest. We know that being “All In” can lead us to winning championships. But there’s a missing piece in this phrase “All In.” How do I get there? What flips the switch to the next level?
In all of our endeavors, if we want to achieve the goals we’ve created for ourselves, we must go “All Out.” To “always be prepared,” we can’t just sit around and wait for success to find us. We can’t just sit around and wait for a miracle to happen. BUT…we must go “All Out” with God’s guidance. We must seek what He wants for us. A combination of following His will and working our tails off to get where He’s leading us will align us totally with the path He has for us. And there’s no other path I’d want to be on than the one He’s set before me!
I remind myself each day to be faithful with what God has put in front of me. For He tells us, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” If we truly want to unlock the potential God has for us, we will go “All Out” with what He’s placed in front of us. Dive into the word, and make sure your mind is present. Lift prayers up to God, and keep your mind from wandering. Serve faithfully within your church, and ask what more you can do. And when we’re faithful in these small tasks, God will entrust us with larger tasks.
God wants every last bit of our hearts and our efforts. To give anything less would be a shame.
Make sure you can confidently give others the reason for your hope. To do this, we must go “All Out.” Let’s be “All In” as Christians and as deliverers of the gospel message!