Be sure to check out Chris’ interview on the Eternity Sports podcast.
Whenever you travel to another country, your mind is opened to so many new things — new cultures, new foods, new languages, and a new perspective on life that maybe you never thought about. Getting to sit down with Welterweight Champion, Chris Van Heerden, was like traveling straight to a church in South Africa.
He’s not a preacher, but at times you wouldn’t know it. He’s a man who has no problem talking about the Lord and sharing his faith. When a friend recommended that I interview Chris on the Eternity Sports podcast, I honestly didn’t know much about him. I stalked him on social media for a while and realized quickly that he was a man seeking God in a sport that rarely puts the spotlight on Jesus.
Chris has been beyond gracious with us, and I love seeing someone in their prime understand that value and impact they hold within their profession. Chris has an amazing testimony and a few stories of how he came to the Lord. It’s nothing short of miraculous. One question I asked him was how he went about staying true to his faith through the sport of boxing. The two just don’t seem to go together. The short answer for Chris was easy: God first. Boxing is the platform.
I LOVE THAT. It’s what we’re trying to share with Eternity Sports. We all play, coach, or follow a sport we love. So why is it so hard to connect God to something we love? Chris helps us to see that it doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. God first. Our culture wants us to leave our faith at home, so we oblige and abandon opportunities to share Jesus. God first means we keep Him first and put everything else in God’s hands.
Let’s take Chris’ lead and put God first — whether we’re in the ring fighting or coaching little league. If we’re continually looking for ways to keep God first in what we’re doing, everything else falls into place. I hope you get a chance to listen to all that Chris has been through…how he lost his father less than a year ago, grew up in a house with 11 kids, fought apartheid in South Africa, lost his championship belt, and is now on the comeback trail fighting for another crown.
