But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light – 1 Peter 2:9
Jamaica Reggae Girl player Kayla McCoy, who also plays for Rangers Football Club, is strong in her faith, and it is with a firm conviction that she shared with Freedom Come Rain that “God has me where he wants me.”
Based in Glasgow, Scotland, where her club is, McCoy said she and another teammate are Christians, and they make no secret of the fact. In fact, it is a pleasure for her to pray with her teammates before each match. She reported that for the first time this year, the prayer group had grown, and that’s been really encouraging.
McCoy explained that she gave her life to Christ at age six while attending a children’s camp at Skokie Valley Baptist Church in Chicago, where she grew up. For years, she had no problem honouring her faith, as she was raised in a Christian home and later attended a Christian high school.
STANDING HER GROUND
She had to look in the mirror and speak firmly to herself during her college years though, as it was the first time that she was intermingling with others who didn’t share her beliefs, and she had to ensure she indeed stood her ground.
“When I went to college, that was the first time I was away from my family, and I was surrounded by so many people that didn’t believe the same thing as me, so that’s where I kinda had to make the decision: am I going to stick with this or am I not going to stick with it? But it was something that was really important to me,” she shared about her faith.
McCoy said she found a Christian community, the AIA (Athletes In Action), a Christian organisation for athletes in college, and that’s where she ensconced herself. She had to make some tough decisions, which sometimes meant not going out with her teammates “because they were going to be drinking and partying and I didn’t want to be a part of that,” she declared. It also meant not hanging out with certain people who didn’t align themselves with her beliefs.
As much as McCoy is big on her Christian principles, there have been times in her life when she questioned God. She explained that as an athlete, injury is a part of life, but in her case, she has had to deal with it much more often than she would like.
She recalls being selected for the Reggae Girlz team in early 2019 with the World Cup coming up in the summer, and she tore her ACL—a sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament—which required surgery.
“All that was only a week before the World Cup, so that was devastating. Maybe because I wasn’t able to play, I really just had to stop and think: how much do I trust God in this situation? Do I trust Him to bring me through? Do I trust that even without football, He is still good, and I still want to serve Him?”
2023 WORLD CUP
She had to call on her faith again last July for while at the try-out summer camp in Jamaica to qualify for the World Cup team, she hurt her knee. McCoy admitted that she thought she was going to be out for a long time, however, God came through marvellously and she was able to don her Jamaican colours. Still, that moment awakened her to the fact that she should never neglect her ‘quality time” with the Lord.
Recovering from her injuries, she managed to play in a couple more matches against the United States and Canada, which caused the team to qualify for the Women’s World Cup slated to be held in July 2023 and co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
RECOMMITMENT
“I recommitted to prayer and Bible reading and kind of recommitted my life to Christ. Not because I had ever stopped reading, but because I had become complacent, and it was just something I did and never thought much about. I had to recommit and make it a priority in my life, and that’s made such a big difference,” she divulged, noting that she felt like she had grown a lot in the past six months in her love for Jesus, and in praying and reading the Word.
“Honestly, I feel like I love Him more today than I ever did before, and that’s a good thing. I face injury a lot throughout my sporting career, and I have to really kind of reassess how much do I really trust God. God says, “Come, follow me,” but he doesn’t say it’s going to be smooth sailing. It’s easy to follow him when things are going well, but when things not going well and you have to make those hard decisions, that’s when you have to determine how much you really trust God.”
STEADYING YOUR UPS AND DOWNS
And as she continues to represent the Rangers and preps for the World Cup, McCoy said she tries to remain a positive and encouraging voice on the team and the person that brings everyone together. “I don’t like to see anyone down or left out!” she quipped, sharing that it is important to have other things to do outside of football, whether that be school or a hobby or volunteering, to allow your mind to take a break from your sport.
“Sport is up and down all the time, and it’s easy to let performance define how you feel about yourself, but having other passions outside of football can help keep the ups and downs more steady!”
Looking ahead, McCoy said it is her hope to get to play for a couple more years, but her biggest prayer is that God will continue to use her “wherever he has me and on whatever team he puts me.”
Born to a Jamaican father, Kayla McCoy’s grandparents still live in Kingston, Jamaica. We pray that the LORD will release His special favour on her this year and that she will reap way above all that she could ever think or imagine in terms of her ministry unto God and her career in football!
