After Drew Brees’ injury on Sept. 15, Saints fans were devastated. Our team was now in the hands of our backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who didn’t have the greatest performance during the game in which Brees was injured. We never would have expected what was to happen in the weeks to follow.
The aim for Saints fans was to not lose too many games before Brees’ return, but the backup, Bridgewater, was able to lead the Saints to five straight wins; not a single loss. Despite the comments and doubts, Bridgewater was able to step up and lead where he needed to.
After his first win with the Saints over the Seattle Seahawks in Washington, Bridgewater gave the team an emotional message.
“Cherish the moments,” he said. “Cherish these opportunities that we have. Cherish this feeling of winning and never take it for granted. I would not have rather been anywhere else but here, experiencing this right here, in the moment with you guys. So, I appreciate you guys for accepting me, and, man, I love y’all.”
There are other notable players who overcame criticism and doubt to transform into the star players they are today.
Current Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers was drafted 24th overall after being predicted to be the No. 1 pick. He went on to lead his team to win the Super Bowl in 2011, and currently has 44,963 career passing yards.
It’s hard to feel like you aren’t enough or that there are so many people better than you in a group or on a team. It’s even harder when you don’t even make the team. I experienced this so much in my life, from my multiple failed attempts trying to join the basketball team to auditioning for dream acting roles.
Despite my constant persistence, I never did make the basketball team. Instead of basketball, I pushed my efforts toward theatre. Even though I was getting roles, they either weren’t leads, or they weren’t roles I wanted, which became more and more discouraging. I then tried to join my school’s improvisation troupe three times in a row. I didn’t make the troupe.
It would have been so easy to give up on theatre, and I could have never auditioned for that troupe again — but I’m stubborn. Eventually, I ended up falling in love with theatre so hard that I began to appreciate all of my roles, even the small ones.
The roles gave me a greater appreciation for the whole cast and allowed me to explore my acting abilities. I finally landed a lead role my senior year of high school and, because of my appreciation for the smaller roles, I enjoyed these moments even more.
As for the improv troupe, I continued to audition, and on my fourth audition, I finally made the troupe and remained on it for a while. I met so many friends in this group and was able to empathize with those who hadn’t made it and encourage them to continue trying.
I don’t use these examples to brag, but instead to emphasize a point. I thought for the longest time that I belonged on the basketball team, but God knew that was not where my true passion was. When I was finally introduced to theatre, it was something that I truly loved, and I gave it my everything, and I felt like I was where I needed to be.
With Club Week coming to a close, I know there are some who didn’t get invited to the club they wanted, and there are some who may have stepped back from the club process. I want to remind you that it’s OK, and God has a much better and bigger place for you. If we serve a God who knows the exact number of hairs on your head, then I completely trust him to know exactly where you can thrive.
I end by saying this: Find your value in God and he will lead you in the right direction. Keep searching, find your passions and above all else, never give up.
