“Rejoice in adversity because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope!" ~ Romans 5: 3-4
Mo wanted to play college football. Not really such an unrealistic dream. At 6 feet tall, a gifted soccer player with a leg like a howitzer, kicking field goals seemed like a no-brainer. Mo had become an internet sensation by booting a 90-yard free kick over an opposing goalie’s head. It had been watched almost 185,000 times on YouTube.
Yet, no homecoming QUEEN had ever played football at LSU. Not even a football helmet could hide her dazzling smile, chestnut locks and enviable cheekbones.
Mo’s future seemed sprinkled with fairy dust. A straight ‘A’ student in high school, she joined all the clubs . . . she excelled on the soccer field . . . she won awards for charitable work.
She was also bulimic. By her senior year Mo would vomit sadistically up 10 times a day and exercise for hours - until exhaustion nearly killed her. She eventually learned to manage her obsession and beat the eating disorder that would’ve ended this story.
Her life seemed charmed again. Then her Dad committed suicide. Ten months later, she was driving home for Thanksgiving when a deer jumped into the path of her Jeep.
She lost control, hit an embankment, and rolled over three times landing upside down against a tree. Mo suffered a broken neck, broken ribs, lung and liver damage and brain bruising. Luckily, an off-duty paramedic happened upon the scene. He told her mother that her semi-conscious daughter whispered a single phrase repeatedly as he rescued her from the wreckage: “God is beautiful!”
Mo recovered and finished her four-year soccer career with a school-record 35 wins. Having never redshirted as a soccer player, Mo was still eligible to play one season of football.
The odds of her successfully trading in her tiara for a helmet weren’t good. Mo trained . . . and practiced, and gave it her best shot. She almost effortlessly kicked 50+ yard field goals – but tackling a 300 pound lineman if the attempt failed was another story. If it were up to LSU players, Mo would’ve joined the elite football program.
She didn’t make the team, however.
But her quest to become the second female player in major college football didn’t end. The rival whose job she tried to take tweeted “Congrats to Mo Isom - she never gave up. A true champion never does! Keep improving - we’ll see you again at fall tryouts!”
The locker room legend lives on.
Lord Jesus, overcoming adversity builds character and character in turn builds hope. Please don’t allow our troubles to overwhelm and drown us. No matter how fierce the storm is, by Your strength we can soar above the clouds. Amen
