People watch me on the soccer field and they see the end-product of a lot of sweat and work. They see the ability to score, to control a ball. They see the ability to run up and down the field for 90 minutes. They see the athletic skill. But they don't see what it took for me to reach the point I have.
Yes, God gave me incredible athletic talent, and He gave me a fierce competitive desire. Those were His gifts to me. But there are plenty of people who have athletic ability and there are plenty of people with competitive fire. The reason I achieved what I have is that I worked hard, consistently, day in and day out, for week after week and for month after month and for year after year.
The raw talent God gave me has been refined by the blood, sweat and tears of hard work, persistent training, and endless effort.
It's called diligence. It's the ability and the willingness to put in the hard work that living sometimes requires. It's the character that the Shunnemite woman showed, as she was faithful in the little tasks of living. She was diligent about serving the Lord, and was a faithful servant. And God blessed her. He let her become a mother, which is what she had always wanted. But she was diligent not because she was trying to get a reward from God. She was diligent and faithful because she knew it was the right thing to do, and it was her way of serving God. And even if God hadn't rewarded her and blessed her with the gift of a child, she still would have been faithful.
You see, we give glory to God not by achieving big things, but by being faithful in little things – doing whatever hard tasks being a servant of God requires. And we do those things not because we hope to gain some reward from God, but because serving Him faithfully in everything is reward in itself.
I gave glory to God not by winning the World Cup, or being named the number one soccer player in the world, or by making the Olympic squad. I gave glory to God by faithfully using the gifts He had given me, day after day after day after day. And all the times I wanted to quit, through all the difficult times and the hard work and the Chronic Fatigue illness I battled, when things seemed totally overwhelming, I was able to continue because I believed that every challenge is a training ground for greatness, and every challenge provides us with an opportunity to be faithful in the use of the gifts God has given us.
One time Jesus said, "It is time to give glory to My Father." And He didn't lead a triumphant army. He didn't achieve worldly power. He didn't overthrow a corrupt government. He was simply faithful, diligently obedient to His Father's will, even if that meant His death. That's how Jesus glorified His Father – not by a great worldly accomplishment – but by the cross.
And yes, I had a great deal of joy in achieving the things I have. Coming out on the field after the World Cup victory in 1999 is something I simply can't describe. I couldn't take it all in. And my achievements have allowed me to reach others I otherwise couldn't have, and to share my blessings.
But even if I had never experienced all the triumphs – even if there had been no World Cup or Olympic team, I still would have the greatest trophy of all – my relationship with God. For my greatest joy has come, not in the achievements or rewards or victories or awards, but in simply being obedient to God along the way, in surrendering my heart to Him. For I have discovered that God wants us to be obedient and diligent, not because He wants to reward us, but because our diligence and faithfulness brings us closer to Him – and that's the greatest reward of all.