Playing for a Greater Goal / Guest Post by Callie Shanahan

Growing up playing competitive hockey, I attached my self-worth to my performance and what others thought of me. That’s a common trap in sports — when you’re praised and complimented for playing well, you feel valuable, but when you’re benched or have a bad game, you feel like you don’t measure up. For me, when I played poorly, I would beat myself up and see myself as inferior. When I played great, I was on top of the world.

I poured thousands of hours into training, and hockey quickly became the most important thing in my life. All I cared about was getting better and getting to the highest level I can and being the best I could. By the time I reached college, it was the center of everything in my life. Looking back, Jesus should have been my top priority, but instead I made hockey my idol — without even realizing it.

That all changed at the end of my sophomore year. After a tough season, I dislocated my kneecap not once, but twice, and needed major surgery to reconstruct a ligament in my knee. It felt like a nightmare. I had been ready for a “redemption year,” and suddenly I was staring at the possibility of missing most of the season, if not all of it. How could this be? This curveball was thrown at me, and I crumbled. I even considered walking away from the game. I questioned if this hockey thing was really meant for me, or if this was a sign to stop. Seven months away from the ice — the longest break of my life — felt unbearable. I didn’t know who I was away from the sport. Everyone always associated Callie with hockey, and it was fully my identity at that time. What would I do if I’m not at the rink training or working out?  

But what I thought was the end of my hockey career turned out to be the turning point of my life. During rehab, I felt drawn to open my Bible again. I had grown up Christian, but I was lukewarm in my faith. My Sundays growing up were spent at the rink more than Church. As I began to read, God completely shifted my perspective like never before. I realized that everything on this Earth is temporary and fleeting — except for a relationship with Him. I discovered that my identity isn’t defined by performance, praise, criticism, or even a sport, but by Jesus Christ alone. And I finally understood how dangerous it is to let anything, even a good thing like hockey, take priority in my life over Jesus.
 
I fully believe God took away hockey to pull me closer to Him, since it was such an idol in my life. Nothing should ever come before Him, and I am forever grateful for that adversity.

By His grace, I was able to return to the ice earlier than expected and play half of my junior year. But this time, I played with a completely different outlook. My confidence was stronger than ever — not because of performance, but because I knew who I was in Christ. I realized that the platform I had from hockey was to bring glory to God, not to myself. What I thought would break me actually built me, both physically, mentally, and spiritually.

In the end, what seemed like a career-ending injury became one of the best things that ever happened to me. It saved my life. A few months after returning to the ice, I gave my life fully to Jesus.

God truly does use hard situations for good and for His glory. Romans 8:28 reminds us: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

When we put our identity in sports, success, or anything other than Christ, it will eventually crumble. But when we root ourselves in Him, we find unshakable confidence, lasting joy, and true life. Adversity is a part of sport and life, but can be used for good and God’s glory. When adversity comes now, I know who I am in Christ and realize that a sport doesn’t define me as a person. I play hockey for Him and compete for Him now, instead of getting praise from coaches, teammates, and fans. My goal is to make Him known through my sport - which gives me so much freedom that I am no longer competing for myself.