Your Faith
New York Jets: James Dearth - #85 Surrendering My Life to Jesus
Athletics was the most important thing in my life, and I loved it more than anything in the world. I knew there was a God, but I didn’t know anything about Him. I certainly didn’t know anything about Jesus and would not have recognized the name if someone was saying it around me. To me, Jesus was just someone’s name.
I thought I had it all. I excelled in every sport I played, and now I was starting my senior year bigger, stronger, and faster than I had ever been. My immediate goal was to dominate and win. My ultimate goal was to play in the NFL, and nothing was going to stop me.
During my senior year, a kid named Scott Emerine moved into my town and started attending my school, Scurry-Rosser High. We ended up in many of the same classes together. Despite how different we were, we became friends. All I cared about was sports and winning, and all he cared about was Jesus and getting good grades. His friendship for me helped redefine what a friend should be. I could not make sense of why he continued to tell me stories about this man named Jesus.
I heard testimony after testimony as we drove around together. At the time, none of it made sense to me, but he continued to plant the seed. That year, our football team was undefeated and many colleges were showing interest in me as a player. My love for the game continued to grow.
One day, Scott invited me to go to church with him. It was the same church my girlfriend (my wife now) was attending, so I agreed. I don’t remember what the service was about, but I left there knowing something in my life was missing. I had many unanswered questions. Why was I hurting inside despite having a loving family? Why did I feel this great big void in my heart when I was doing so well in the things I loved most? Why was I not going to Heaven even though I considered myself a pretty “good” guy?
After many weeks of searching for the truth, the testimonies that Scott had shared with me began to make sense. And one Sunday morning, I gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ. I finally realized that Jesus was the only Son of God, who came to die for all our sins by shedding His innocent blood on the cross. He paid a debt He did not owe, a debt I could not pay. I also realized that no matter how much I loved football, football could never love me back. With Jesus, no matter how much I loved Him, I could never love Him as much as He loves me.
My new relationship with Jesus affected my life tremendously (2 Corinthians 5:17). Football was no longer first in my life, and neither was I. I no longer had a void in my heart. Meeting Jesus was very humbling. I thought I was a pretty good guy, but now I know I am a sinner saved by grace alone. I could no longer depend on myself nor my abilities because apart from Christ, I would fail.
Since that day, my confidence comes from Jesus (Galatians 2:20). I do my best to lead my life according to God’s Word and lead my wife, Laurie, and my three children to do the same. Every day I need to surrender my life to Jesus. By getting to know Jesus and putting Him first, it allows me to serve others the way Jesus has called me to do.
On the field I try to lead by example. I try to be the hardest worker I can be by making sure I study and do my best to know my role on the field (Colossians 3:23). I also do my best to be a friend to my teammates, using the example that was shown to me by Scott. I try to give words of encouragement to my teammates, lifting them up whenever I can.
Being in the NFL puts players in a tremendous spotlight. Fans look up to the players and watch their every move, wanting to get to know them somehow. This opens many doors to share the love of God with fans. We often get opportunities to share our faith at speaking engagements. When fans want an autograph, it is easy enough to slip a Scripture quote under your name and number.
Having a relationship with God has helped me on the field because I am confident in Him. God has blessed me with the abilities I have for a reason. God does not make mistakes (Proverbs 16:3). I need to use these abilities to the glory of God. I also know the way God cares and thinks about me (Jeremiah 29:11). Knowing God and having a good relationship with Him allows me to know what He expects of me. It also helps me to understand that I have to trust Him. The Bible says that where I am weak, He is strong (Philippians 4:13).
God has always revealed Himself to me through athletics and has helped me to grow in my faith by leaning on Him. I can relate to the Apostle Paul when he talks about running the race to win. Paul also talks about training and exercise. We must train not only physically, but spiritually as well. That’s why it’s important to get into the Word of God and pray every day.
God has put into my heart a passion for reaching the lost. Lord willing, I would like to one day start a football camp ministry where Christian NFL players can share their faith with young children.
Even though I travel with the team on Sundays, I try to remain active in my church. I also feel led to do a marriage Bible study with the football team this year. The divorce rate in the NFL is very high. Hopefully, God can use me to help build some strong foundations into the marriages of my teammates and fellow players. That foundation is knowing Jesus Christ.
Nothing in life compares to the salvation you have in Jesus Christ. It is the ultimate victory. As an athlete, you can never have enough victories and nothing will ever satisfy your hunger for another win. With Jesus, what more can you want than knowing you are going to spend eternity in Heaven with your Savior? I don’t even have to fear death because Jesus already took care of that issue for me when He conquered death and rose again.
I would like to encourage you to reach out to the student athletes in your community because they will one day be a big influence on the younger children in that community. As athletes, they are looked up to and have the opportunity to make an impact on many lives just by the examples they set.
As a student athlete, someone cared enough about me to have an impact on my life. He was intentional with his time and didn’t give up on me. Scott Emerine spent most of my senior year sharing the love of Christ with me and being a friend to me. Because Scott took the time to share the Gospel with me and invested in my life, a few student athletes’ lives were impacted at our school, and now God is using the fruits of his labor to impact the NFL! You may never know how God will use your investment in the lives of others. 