Ever have one of those periods in life where you think everything is against you? No one really cares what you are doing, nor do they see the effort you are putting in and what you are trying to accomplish for the good? Just out there all alone, on your own. Every now and again, I run into one of those “God appointment” stories that causes me to pause, reevaluate my thinking, ask His forgiveness and get back to His work. One of my favorite “God appointments” happened over a year ago, back in February 2023.
Katrina Kohel, a 17-year-old (at that time), Morrill High School senior in Nebraska, was preparing for the Nebraska state cheerleading championship to be held later that month. Just two weeks before the competition she was told that the rest of her cheer squad had quit. For whatever reason, her other teammates made the decision to drop out, leaving Katrina the only cheerleader left standing. Kohel said her coach encouraged her to either go to the championship as a spectator or a competitor. So, what did she do, she chose to cheer on!!
She told a local TV station, "I decided I wanted to go and still compete because I wanted to end my senior year with a bang, and I didn’t want to give up on cheerleading because it has been such a huge part of my life. I wasn’t (nervous) at first and then we got into the arena...and it all kind of started to hit me...and it felt like more real in the fact that I was there competing by myself."
There is a video that captured the whole routine. Kohel goes from station to station, completing each segment of the over 3-minute competition. The crowd was on her side and in the end, she placed 8th out of the 12 competing teams.
She later said of the crowd that cheered her own and the attention her performance has received, "It felt amazing! It was just so awe-inspiring to me that they were willing to do that even though I was their competition. It feels amazing to see how positive people are reacting to it and... how it’s showing them no matter what, as long as you put your mind to it, you can still do it." https://www.fox5dc.com/news/cheerleader-competes-alone-at-state-champs-after-squad-quits-it-felt-amazing
Knowing the backstory and all she put into her last performance as a Senior, I am humbled and brought to tears each time I watch the video. I only wished I had her courage at that age, and I continue to work to have her attitude at my age now.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in 1 Kings 19. Elijah has performed a great miracle before the people, killed all the false prophets of Baal and now he is on the run. In his mind he is the only one left and the world is coming after him. When he encounters the Lord while he is on the run, he has a literal “God appointment.”, This is part of the exchange: (1 Kings 19:13 – 18) Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus…Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
When I have an “Elijah moment” God always comes back to me with a “God appointment.” The message: You might feel alone, but don’t lose heart, you are never really alone. God is not finished with you. Maybe like Katrina Kohel, you might actually be the only one left in that situation, but you are not alone. As a Christian that is struggling, you are not the only one left. Everyone goes through those moments. It is in those moments that true character is built and shown! Will you demonstrate the same courage when the crowd is screaming your name as when the world seems to go silent? God knows what He is doing with you where He has you. Let’s be more like Katrina and less like Elijah!
Serving the Savior,
Bro. Jonathan
Katrina Kohel, a 17-year-old (at that time), Morrill High School senior in Nebraska, was preparing for the Nebraska state cheerleading championship to be held later that month. Just two weeks before the competition she was told that the rest of her cheer squad had quit. For whatever reason, her other teammates made the decision to drop out, leaving Katrina the only cheerleader left standing. Kohel said her coach encouraged her to either go to the championship as a spectator or a competitor. So, what did she do, she chose to cheer on!!
She told a local TV station, "I decided I wanted to go and still compete because I wanted to end my senior year with a bang, and I didn’t want to give up on cheerleading because it has been such a huge part of my life. I wasn’t (nervous) at first and then we got into the arena...and it all kind of started to hit me...and it felt like more real in the fact that I was there competing by myself."
There is a video that captured the whole routine. Kohel goes from station to station, completing each segment of the over 3-minute competition. The crowd was on her side and in the end, she placed 8th out of the 12 competing teams.
She later said of the crowd that cheered her own and the attention her performance has received, "It felt amazing! It was just so awe-inspiring to me that they were willing to do that even though I was their competition. It feels amazing to see how positive people are reacting to it and... how it’s showing them no matter what, as long as you put your mind to it, you can still do it." https://www.fox5dc.com/news/cheerleader-competes-alone-at-state-champs-after-squad-quits-it-felt-amazing
Knowing the backstory and all she put into her last performance as a Senior, I am humbled and brought to tears each time I watch the video. I only wished I had her courage at that age, and I continue to work to have her attitude at my age now.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in 1 Kings 19. Elijah has performed a great miracle before the people, killed all the false prophets of Baal and now he is on the run. In his mind he is the only one left and the world is coming after him. When he encounters the Lord while he is on the run, he has a literal “God appointment.”, This is part of the exchange: (1 Kings 19:13 – 18) Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus…Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
When I have an “Elijah moment” God always comes back to me with a “God appointment.” The message: You might feel alone, but don’t lose heart, you are never really alone. God is not finished with you. Maybe like Katrina Kohel, you might actually be the only one left in that situation, but you are not alone. As a Christian that is struggling, you are not the only one left. Everyone goes through those moments. It is in those moments that true character is built and shown! Will you demonstrate the same courage when the crowd is screaming your name as when the world seems to go silent? God knows what He is doing with you where He has you. Let’s be more like Katrina and less like Elijah!
Serving the Savior,
Bro. Jonathan
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