Low confidence, doubt and fear have been serious obstacles, especially in football. You could call them the Goliaths of my life. As we all know, without confidence it’s impossible to perform and that’s something I’m still growing in.
I am a very talented player but because of how low my confidence was, I was never able to excel to my best. When I was younger I used to pretend that I was injured, sick, or tired, so that I could miss games – that’s how much I doubted myself. Everyone would tell me;
“You’re a great player, you’re so gifted and, you have what it takes to go far in football,”
But deep down inside of me that spirit of doubt, fear and worry held me back, that was until I met my saviour, Jesus Christ. Don’t think that all my problems went away when I gave my life to Jesus, because they didn’t. I’m making steps to grow in confidence daily but it’s nothing like it was before. My life has completely changed since I encountered Jesus; now I go into every game focused on giving 100% for the Lord and that releases me from carrying any unnecessary extra pressure.
I trust that God will have His way through all that I do. Of course I still strive to be the best that I can be but now I want to stand out for Jesus Christ and not for myself. My desire is to play for His glory alone. Being a part of BIG has truly made me grow not only as a footballer but as a Christian too. It‘s so important to me because my brothers in BIG truly understand the challenges that I face.
– Victor Klonaridis (AEK Athens)