myself why I am doing what I am doing. I’ve realized that I can’t please people and follow God. Galatians 1:10 says, “If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” I’ve also struggled with my self-image. Growing up in a bathing suit and seeing myself on television and magazines led to an unhealthy desire to look a certain way. I wanted to be accepted and admired. This led to an eating disorder in my teen years. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you don’t struggle. But you don’t have to be consumed and destroyed by these things either. I found freedom from low self-esteem and people pleasing when I found my identity in Christ. That’s why I am so passionate about leading others to Christ. I know what it is like to be enslaved to wrong thinking, and I know what it is like to be free. Freedom came through studying and applying God’s Word. I maintain that freedom by daily seeking God through His Word. When I got serious about studying the Bible, God taught me so much. The more I saw His goodness, the more my view toward others and myself began to change. He renewed my mind. God’s Word showed me who I was. I’m not just a wakeboarder clothed in a bathing suit. No. I am a child of God, a daughter of the King, worth everything to Him, even the life of His Son. I am loved, not for anything I’ve done, but simply because I am His child. I am clothed in His righteousness and made in His image. And if you believe in Jesus as your Savior, you are too! We can’t get any more special than that. That’s why I’m so passionate. I want people to know who they are and whose they are. I want people to see the value of knowing God and living for Him. It’s worth any sacrifice they may make. God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). I love the correlation between athleticism and my walk with God. I’ve been an athlete since I was tiny. By the time I was five, my older brother Bart would invite his friends over and challenge them to a pull-up contest against his baby sister. He made a lot of money off me! I’ve pushed my athletic abilities over the years. I was never satisfied. Even at thirty-three years old, with X-Games and World wakeboard titles to my name, I’m still not satisfied with my level of performance. That’s why I became a competitor on the national television show, American Ninja Warrior, featured on NBC. I wanted a new challenge. Call me crazy, but I love being disciplined…waking up early and training. I love pushing past physical and emotional barriers because that’s when I experience breakthrough. It’s when I experience things I never dreamed possible. Spiritual progress is achieved the same way. When I discipline myself to read God’s Word and seek His presence daily, even when I don’t feel like it, I go to new levels spiritually. Every day brings a new revelation about the love and character of God. God teaches me things I never dreamed and uses my life in ways I never imagined. That is more exciting than flying across the water on a wakeboard or maneuvering myself like a monkey through an obstacle course. God’s Word never returns void. It will accomplish remarkable things in your life. It is life to those who believe. “PhysIcal traInInG Is gooD, bUt tRaInIng For GodlInesS Is mucH beTter, prOmIsIng BeneFits in ThIs 1 lIfE tImOthy anD In 4:the 8 lIfE to come.” I wish I could impart p all that I’ve learned about t the love and character of God. I wish sh I could could give you my passion. It would w change your life.lif But I can’t. There is no o substit substitute e for dis disciplining yourself spiritually. You must must ge get into God’s Word. No one can do it for you. You have to taste God for yourself. But know this: as you commit to seeking Him and learning of Him, you’ll find your hunger and passion growing. You’ll find your life changing. And you’ll understand my passion to make Him known. �� BeInG a ChriStIaN doEsn’T Mean you don’T struggLe. But You Don’T haVe tO be ConsUmed and desTroyEd by ThesE thIngs eItHer. Emily and husband, Kevin, with their children, Hope and Noah. Ironically, it was Emily’s interview in Waterski Magazine when she was sixteen years old that brought Emily and Kevin together. As soon as Kevin saw Emily in that magazine and read about her faith, he knew she would someday be his wife. A year and a half later in college, a mutual friend introduced them and, eight months later, they were married. Emily leads worship at Wake Church, held at the Nautique Wake Open with fellow professional wakeboarders, Shaun Murray and Kirby Liesmann. photography by Gina Gutekunst kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 19
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