It’s not that there have never been Christian athletes in sports, because they have been around for a long time now.
But I can’t remember the last time it was at this level.
Everywhere you look you see God using athletes to bring glory to His name.
It may be Tim Tebow being extremely open about his faith or Dwyane Wade wearing the number 3 on his jersey in honor of the Holy Trinity or the underdog story of Jeremy Lin coming up from nothing to bring the Knicks back into the playoff race, all while honoring God and bringing glory to His name.
God is doing work. Say what you want about some of these athletes, but one thing is for sure — and that is that they aren’t doing it for themselves, but for Christ.
Now enter Benson Henderson, the new UFC Lightweight Champion. Henderson won the belt this past Saturday at UFC 144 when he defeated Frankie Edgar.
Henderson (16-2-0) is a devout Christian who is also extremely open about his faith. Followers of Henderson on Twitter will know about this, frequently talking about Christ and various Bible verses in his tweets.
On his right hand is a tattoo of Psalm 144:1, which reads, “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle.”
Henderson’s walkout song was a remix of “Awesome God” by Christian rapper R-Swift. The incredibly quiet and respectful Japanese crowd made the song have an even bigger effect, setting up a very awesome entrance.
Following the announcement of Henderson winning the five round fight and having the title strapped around his waist was his post-fight interview from inside the octagon where he said, “first and foremost, like always, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
Watching Henderson quote Philippians 4:13 live on pay per view gave me goose bumps, knowing that millions all around the world were watching that fight and hearing him immediately give the glory to God.
That is a great example of humbling oneself. And he had no fear to play a Christian song or to quote a Bible verse in front of millions across the world.
While others are out at the club, Henderson would rather spend his time reading in Barnes & Noble.
Henderson is famous for this quote, “I don’t drink — I’ve never had a sip of alcohol. I’ve never had a puff of a cigarette or weed or anything like that. Growing up in Tacoma, that wasn’t a very popular choice. I made a decision, and whenever it came up, I passed. People have seen that. They see I don’t do the club scene, I don’t go to bars. By people seeing that, that affects them in a bigger way than me talking about it.”
Just like I discussed a month or so ago when writing about Tebow being a light in a dark world, Henderson also has taken advantage of the platform that the Lord has provided him with.
On Saturday night he is a UFC Champion, come Sunday morning he is just an avid church goer, but every day of the week he is a Warrior of God.
Tyler Rollason is a Winder-Barrow High School graduate and mass communications major at the University of West Georgia. You can e-mail comments about this column to tyrollason@yahoo.com.
