Got Godfidence?

“He Shoots – He Scores!” Jehyve Floyd plays on a professional basketball team. He can tell you all about practicing with his team, playing and winning with his team and living life with his team. But what he really wants to tell you is who has helped him to do all of that well – God. He’s learned and is still learning a lot about his team of two – God and him.

Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.

Scottie Pippen, 6-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls

Pursue your dreams, make your mark, be resilient… We’ve all heard the many calls for self-confidence. Parents want to help their children be strong. Coaches want you to succeed. Friends encourage friends. It’s all good. But – It’s not all God.

Jehyve’s book Godfidence invites us to begin to more seriously consider a different and more far-reaching mindset. One that moves seeking God to the front of the line ahead of asking for advice and simply being bold.

Read an excerpt from his book below.

GROWING PAINS

The following is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Godfidence by Jehyve Floyd, Copyright 2021 by Williams Commerce. Reprinted with permission.

As much as I thought I had a stable relationship with God, my first year overseas showed me how sadly mistaken I was. Regrettably, I banked on the many years of growing up in the church, being a Pastor’s kid, and embracing my spiritual clout. I was proud to say I know God, articulate several bible scriptures, and sing all the old gospel songs. I even prayed before my basketball games. Nonetheless, I lost an authentic and personal connection to God.

Once I left home for college, my church attendance dropped sharply. I started measuring my life through the lens of personal development, but my spiritual growth wasn’t a priority, and it showed. My life revolved around basketball, school, women, and more women.

My father was right about one thing. There were few restrictions on me after graduation. I overly valued the freedom I had in college after many years of being tightly restrained at home. In other words, “I jumped off the porch” and turned my back on my father and his rules. I lived the way I desired and took full advantage of my college experience. It was my time to have as much fun as possible. After a couple of years, I got comfortable and felt at home in college. Everything I needed and wanted was within arm’s reach. God would mainly hear from me when I encountered problems. I treated the priority like a last resort. My faith was on the back burner, and I unconsciously chose to live by the world’s culture.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

During my rookie season playing professional basketball, I learned that restoring your relationship with God starts with the mind. It is the most powerful tool we have and utilizes our free will. Our power lies in choices as we find direction there. However, it is also the battleground where the devil distracts or confuses us about what we know and how we feel, bridging a gap between the mind and heart. This internal battle puts our soul at risk, which consists of our entire being, such as the mind, will, and emotions. It was new knowledge to me and was life-changing. I understand my motive was to take advantage of my new freedom, but my lifestyle was not pleasing to God. When we choose to give in to our fleshly desires or physical human nature, satisfying lust becomes our priority. In college, we engage in sex, alcohol, and drugs, causing us to sin. We do not realize that living that way consumes our energy and leaves us feeling empty.

For instance, we spend most of our energy striving for status in today’s society and competing in the human race, leaving little room for God’s instruction. I became obsessed with and valued others’ opinions throughout my life and lost track of God’s plan for me. Especially during college, I did not spend the necessary time and energy to sustain a healthy relationship with God. Easier said than done. After college, I consciously made a mental shift and began changing my habits. Eventually, I made time for him throughout my day, whether through prayer, worship through song, and most importantly, reading the Bible. That is how I reconnected to God and learned what he requires of us.

Once I got to Myrtle Beach, I went through some growing pains mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I arrived prepared to fly across the ocean to my new assignment as a professional basketball player in a foreign land. Just a taste of how overseas life was going to be was nerve-racking. I would be in a new environment where basketball was the focal point. Classes were over, and I began training three times a day in preparation for my rookie season. Basketball became my new school.

Confusingly, I went from one of the happiest times to the beginning of one of my most challenging years. With graduation in the rear view, I had a future full of possibilities right in front of me. I tried my hardest to get ready for this new experience hoping I would not mess anything up. Filled with fear and uncertainty, those feelings of low self-worth and self- doubt began creeping up and washing over me. At times, I felt hopeless and angry because, in theory, I wanted to revisit the sense of belonging with my family and friends again. I was all alone and struggled to figure out the root of this new anxiety and stress.

In retrospect, I wish I knew then what I know now. The discomfort I experienced was simply the old me transitioning into who I am today, my true authentic self. I found myself drawing closer to reconciling my relationship with God. I wanted His truth about my life and its direction. It pained me not to have a clue. I would attempt to remind myself that God has a plan for me, but the closer I got to my dreams, the more obstacles came my way. I was growing, and God was shifting my understanding of self. That is always a painful process but a necessary one if I was going to mature.

We must understand the difference between who we are and what we do. When we solely appreciate who we are, we can find peace. It was hard for me to separate the two because what I do protects me from abandonment. Being a pro basketball player brought a lot of attention that substituted for the love I craved and didn’t have. Once I realized it wasn’t fulfilling, I started to fall away from the label and stereotypes of being a basketball player. My identity could not be solely in basketball. My identity had to be found in Him.