Lauren Holiday: Giving God Praise in the Ups and Downs, the Wins and Losses

She is a professional soccer midfielder and forward who currently plays for FC Kansas City in the National Women's Soccer League and the United States women's national soccer team. She is also is a two-time Olympic gold medalist from both 2008 and 2012. Additionally, she also played in the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. In 2014, she was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year. As a star player on the United States women's national soccer team, she helped her team reach a record third World Cup with a 5-2 victory over Japan. 

In an interview with Fellowship of Christian Athletes after losing the 2011 World Cup, she said: "I learned to give God the praise in the highs and the lows. That's not easy. It's not easy to lose the World Cup and say, ‘Thank You, Lord,' because it hurts. But our lives are completely full of highs and lows, and I'm so grateful that my confidence is in Christ. My identity in the Lord will never be shaken. My career will come and go, but remaining faithful has made my relationship with Him so much stronger."

"I try to think of the verse in Romans 12:1 every time I play. 'Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.' At the World Cup, I was playing in the biggest tournament of my life and playing a position I was unfamiliar with. I just remember thinking, ‘Lord, this is my act of worship.' I try to keep in mind that He gave me this talent. This isn't for me; it's for Him. That gives me so much joy."

She said, "Once you're in the spotlight and profess that you're a believer, people want you to fall. They immediately want to point out your flaws, and that's hard because everyone's going to make mistakes. If I'm going to proclaim Christ's name, I want people to see it..."