Article May 5, 2014 Issue

Kicking out fear

Crystal Shepherd

Last year before the soccer season, my school’s team went to Florida to train for a week during spring break. I was excited to completely invest my time in soccer. A few other girls and I were late to arrive because we had just been in Israel for the first half of our break. I was nervous because we had missed a few practices.

My first practice that night was extremely difficult. As it came to a close, we did sprints, and I began to struggle with jet lag. I tried to think of all the things I could be grateful for; I was surrounded by an inspiring group of girls and in such a beautiful place. I had just arrived from one of the most inspirational places in the world, the land where many biblical stories took place. I was firm that no harm, no aftermath from my travels, or jet lag, could inhibit me from doing good and expressing God. An uplifting sense of love was clear to me when I looked around at my teammates. The hymn “I walk with Love” (Minny M. H. Ayers, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 139) repeated in my head, and I became confident that fatigue could not knock me down. And it didn’t. I finished the practice strong.

My spirits were lifted as I went to practice the next day. I felt confident and spiritually empowered. At practice, a ball was passed to me and when I stretched out my leg to receive it, I felt a sharp, popping pain in my knee and fell to the ground. Then fear flooded into my mind. Scenarios whizzed by: What if I couldn’t practice anymore? Could I even walk? Would I let down my team?