100% Sýnishorn

Everything I Have

Kelly Schmidt

Ready:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” Romans 12:1

Set:

It was one of those college practices when we were running sprints with no end in sight. We were running – while our coach read a newspaper on the sideline. Others were keeping count of how many sprints, but I was asking myself, “why do I put myself through this?” I was up the night before studying until midnight for an early morning test that day, every muscle in my body sore from preseason workouts. I was leaving a trail of dripping sweat and there was no end in sight – exhausted physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. 

Somewhere during those sprints, I remembered what I read that morning, Romans 12:1. In the midst of my pain and soreness, I had a completely new understanding of what it meant to be a living sacrifice. As a college athlete, I understand what it means to give your body to something greater than yourself. That practice I realized that every sprint, all of my soreness, the pain, the blood, the sweat and every bit of energy coming out of my body in practices and games was an act of worship. It changed my attitude and how I approached everything I did with gratitude for the physical gifts and talents He’d given me to compete. 

Go:

1. What do you think of when you hear the word “worship”?

2. How can you worship God with your body?

3. Could being a living sacrifice on your team be a way to share Jesus with a teammate? 

Workout:

• Deuteronomy 6:5
• 1 Corinthians 10:31

Overtime:

“God, would everything I do be a living and holy sacrifice to You. All of my sweat, my energy, my preparation, would it all be an act of worship. And would others see You in me because of it.”