This story appears in FCA Magazine’s November/December 2016 issue. Subscribe today!

Hometown: Ankeny, Iowa
Class: Senior
Notes:
• Summit League All-Tournament Team (2014-15)
• Second Team All-Summit League (2013, ‘15)
• Summit League Honor Roll (2013-15)

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.”  – Psalm 73:26

Nikki Inskeep broke away from her childhood faith in high school and poured her bitterness and anger onto the soccer pitch, eventually leading the Ankeny, Iowa, native to South Dakota State University. As a goalkeeper for the Jackrabbits, Inskeep was introduced to FCA, and God began to do a deep work within her and draw her to a peace found only in Him.

FCA: What has your faith story been like from high school to college?

NI: My parents divorced during my freshman year of high school, and in response I turned my back on God. I was very angry. I didn’t know where to place that anger, so I blamed Him. That was when I dove into soccer, taking my pain to the field and using that as my coping mechanism.

As soon as I stepped foot on campus at SDSU, I fell in love with it and could feel the family atmosphere. There was something calling me here. I thought it was for soccer, but the Lord’s done a lot more with it. One of my teammates invited me to FCA, and I really started looking forward to it because of the atmosphere and everything T.J. and Kristy Carlson (chaplains) had to say. You could tell they just really cared. The Lord used FCA to show me my priorities weren’t quite in line and helped get that situated.

FCA: How was your relationship with the Lord reconciled?

NI: A big piece was being out with an injury spring of freshman year. I immediately went back to that same place, blaming Him for all of it. Through that whole process He revealed that soccer is important to me, but there’s more to life. He really used that time to strip me of my identity as an athlete and helped me realize my identity needed to be found in Christ.

It wasn’t an overnight thing and took me a while, but I really couldn’t live life to the fullest and have the joy that comes from Him while holding on to my anger. Now it’s shifted from having a lot of anger and blame and living in fear to really trusting in Him and His plan for me.

FCA: How do you now approach the game of soccer?

NI: You can’t go into [a game] with expectations, and I love that. Soccer’s something I’m going to play because I love it and am using it to shine His light on the field and in the locker room. It has given me a platform to share my relationship with Christ with my teammates, while relying on Him for my strength to step out on the field every day. He’s given me these gifts to go and glorify Him, using every day to have a kingdom impact. Sports are temporary, but my relationship with Christ is eternal.

FCA: You said you can’t go into a game with expectations—is that a parallel to life?

NI: Definitely. You can go into a game or college having a plan and saying, “This is what I’m going to do,” but it’s not really up to me. I can control how I play, but at the end of the day, you never know who’s going to come out on top in the game, and you don’t really know where you’re going to be tomorrow.

FCA: What’s one thing you hope God reveals to you about Himself?

NI: I’m hoping He reveals more about having that unwavering faith and trust in His plan for me. Day by day relying on Him, trusting His plans for me and knowing He’s going to take me where He wants me. I just have to be open and receptive to that.

FCA Staff Quote:

“Nikki has grown, not only in her faith but in her leadership. She is always willing to share her testimony at a camp or speak at an FCA event. She genuinely cares about her teammates and classmates, and it shows in the way she encourages them to be their best on the field, in the classroom and in their faith.”

-Kristy Carlson
FCA Chaplain – South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

-FCA-

Photos courtesy of Dave Eggen/Intertia Sports Media and Allegra