Steadfast

We may feel sometimes that we are spiritually incongruous with the people around us - there are those that embrace the philosophies of this world and think and act a different way than we do. And, their hostility or ignorance concerning the Christian faith can be frustrating and even hurtful. Nevertheless, God calls us to be steadfast. 1st Corinthians 15 says:
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

We can walk in personal victory, even though we may be experiencing opposition. And, we realize the enemy over which Christ has triumphed is a spiritual one - our war, according to Ephesians, is not against flesh and blood.  When we realize that, it frees us to love the people around us, even those who don't believe and take us to task for our beliefs.  The power of God enables us to remain steadfast, even in the face of those who would oppose, or even demean and ridicule, believers because we live for Jesus.

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God calls us to a steadfast walk, which results from embracing what Jesus has done in our hearts and pursuing His purpose. Ephesians 2 states:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We are in that season known as March Madness, as the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships have moved into the "Sweet Sixteen" phase.  The men are in the state of Indiana while the ladies are playing in Texas.  

In 2008, the Stanford Cardinal women's team made it to the national championship game, losing to the Tennessee Lady Vols.  One of the prime contributors to the Cardinal's attempt to win a title was Candice Wiggins - according to the university's sports website, Wiggins scored 41 points in a regional final win over Maryland that year, and posted her fourth double-double that year in the first Final Four game, scoring 25 points and hauling down 13 rebounds, defeating UConn.

Wiggins went on to the WNBA and played for four teams, including the Minnesota Lynx, where she won a championship in 2011, according to an article at The Christian Post website. But, just about five years later, before she even turned 30 years old, she retired - the article states:

In 2016, however, at age 29, Wiggins voluntarily ended her WNBA career. A year later, she disclosed in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune that, along with other tensions, that she had been bullied in the WNBA for being straight and that the culture in the WNBA encouraged women to look and act like men in the NBA.

She said, “Me being heterosexual and straight, and being vocal in my identity as a straight woman was huge," adding, "It was a conformist type of place. There was a whole different set of rules they (the other players) could apply.”

Wiggins discovered a newfound faith when playing with the Lynx, according to the article, which says:

Wiggins talks fondly of WNBA chaplain of the Minnesota Lynx, Michelle Backes, who she said served as a role model for her in developing her faith. She said Backes gifted her a study Bible after she tore her Achilles tendon in July 2010 and she was sidelined by the injury.

She said she struggled during that period but used the time to finish her communications degree at Stanford and search the Scriptures for direction.

“When I tore my Achilles, everything stopped for me physically, so it became all about who am I outside of basketball. First thing I did was enroll in Stanford. I went back to Stanford and took classes to finish my degree,” she said.

“I went to God because I wanted so badly to digest the entire Bible, but I felt the guilt … I felt very lost,” she continued, noting that up until that point in her life, she had been reading many different books but not the Bible.

And, as she applied herself to the Word, God worked in her life in a profound way; she says, "It was like this anointing. I felt so much power in the Word. Studying the notes, the history, the context. I had a full comprehension because I felt like [I had] a lot of catching up to do...," and things continued to change.  The Post states, "She ended up finishing the entire New Testament and went on to win a WNBA championship shortly after," Wiggins said, “That kind of brought me to a place where I thought I was living in my purpose. From that point on, I stayed reading the Word..."

Now, Wiggins is entering a new chapter of her life - moving from California to Atlanta and developing a virtual coaching series for young people who have been adversely affected by the COVID pandemic. She says: “The biggest thing that I probably discovered [during the pandemic] is just the sense of time — how much time is in charge. Not our own wills, time. And that’s God’s will, in my opinion. Being patient. Of all the things in life that you could want, that you could wish for and hope for, I think that time is probably the most precious and the most important, and also it’s priceless,” adding, “What do you do with your time? I think that’s one of the things that, you know, when you think about even the idea of a Judgment Day or the Judgment Seat, I think that the pressing question is what did you do with your time?

Wiggins adds:

"This pandemic has taught me really that there’s nothing idle about your schedule anymore. Anyone’s schedule, especially mine. I have to look and see how I have been using my time and really judge that.”

Candice Wiggins is a former women's basketball player who has learned to reorient her life and depend on God. She now senses a call to coach, to share what she has learned and applied in her life, and to speak up based on Scripture.  

And, her life has not been without difficulty, including her stand against the pressure to conform when surrounded by fellow athletes who did not share her views on the gay lifestyle.  It put her in a position where she could not do what she loved to do anymore.  We will encounter opposition in our lives - we can decide to stand in the midst of it or discern when it is time to walk away.  We have to follow God's call and make sure that He is leading us.

We know that even in adverse circumstances, we can have an influence with those who do not share our values, but there may be a time in which He says, "enough."  We have to navigate the challenges and wait on His perfect will, remaining steadfast. 

We also note that God will give us wisdom, we can depend on Him to order our steps. We can offer our lives as living sacrifices to Him and recognize the certainty of His call.  He is with us, and we can rely on His direction.