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Spiritual Formation

Student-Athlete Spotlight: Shane Streich

When asked to write this article surrounding the collision of my faith and my running career, I was torn between all the different directions that I could go. In reality, having this problem is a testament to the fact that God has impacted my life in so many ways throughout my running career, whether that be through the tumultuous relationship I've had with the sport or through the relationships with others created as a result of the sport. However, I feel called to focus in on the last year and a half and share a little bit how God has shaped me and what God has taught me through Track and Field during that time. Before I dive into the good stuff, let me share a brief background about myself.

I am originally from Janesville, MN, which is a small town in the southern part of the state. I come from a family of runners – both parents ran collegiately, my sister ran competitively all the way through high school, and my brother currently runs collegiately (he just transferred to Lipscomb this Fall for his final year of eligibility) – so it comes as no surprise that I have been heavily involved with the sport for 17+ years. After a highly successful high school career, I attended the University of Minnesota for 5 years where I had an up and down career, still leaving as a 2x NCAA All-American. Due to the COVID pandemic, I transferred to Lipscomb to exhaust my eligibility, resulting in the most successful season of my career where I set PRs in 7 events, finished 6th in my first ever NCAA Outdoor Championships, and was a semi-finalist in the 800m at the U.S. Olympic Trials. All of this, though, is only a result of the Lord's blessings.

In fact, none of those achievements over the past year would've happened without God graciously revealing to me that in order to grow in my faith, I must be willing to take risks to follow His will for me and to fully and unconditionally trust that He will provide for me along the way. When the COVID pandemic wiped away my final Outdoor Track and Field season, I won't deny that I had frustrations and grievances with the Lord; my trust wasn't unconditionally in Him. However, the Lord opened a door for me through the opportunity to transfer to Lipscomb for my final season of eligibility. I had to fight the inner battles of going from a Power 5 school to a mid-major school, of moving to a campus and city that I had never been to before, and of being over a thousand miles away from my support system that I had relied on my entire life. Through that uncertainty, the Lord showed me that instead of relying on Him to make the decision for me, I needed to take a Christ-centered risk and wholeheartedly trust in His provision. Even today, I am confident that no matter how the year turned out athletically, I would've been at peace in knowing that Jesus was my rock in this time of uncertainty.

With so much success over the past year, there has been much opportunity for me to gloat and revel in the successes, yet God has really worked on my heart to remain humble during it all. Throughout my running career, it has been easy for me to be outwardly humble, but I have always struggled with being truly humble in my heart before the Lord and His glory through the highs of the sport. During my first few months at Lipscomb, I had rediscovered my true passion for the sport of running. Embracing this rekindled fire for the sport, I began to realize that the passion and abilities that I had for the sport weren't just a gift from God, but they were a gift that He blessed me with because He loves me. Running is just my own unique avenue in which I can glorify God, just as the ability to witness to strangers or the heart to care unconditionally for others may be someone else's avenue. Fully embracing that every step I take on the track is by the grace of God and a result of His unconditional love for me, His child, allowed the Holy Spirit to pierce through my internal ego and continues to allow me to truly give God the recognition and praise He deserves. At the end of the day, God doesn't hate success; He just doesn't want it to become my replacement for His love.

In a nutshell, God has graciously shaped me into a much stronger Christian man through my passion for track and field, so I encourage you – whomever you may be reading this – to embrace your passions with an open, yearning heart and let God go to work in your life.


 
 
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