First grade Cronulla Sharks rugby league prop Jason Stevens may pull on representative jerseys and make appearances on TV sports programs, but God, not fame, is the driving force in his life.
Jason is an out and proud Christian, who is serious when he says going to church is ‘unreal’ and that he has a relationship with God. He enjoys reading the bible, especially the psalms, but says that Bible studies are ‘where you really get to know people and share your life’.
He is also serious about the spiritual component of love relationships—so serious that he has written a book, Worth the Wait. He says that couples who are committed to God and who work for each other’s interests can make a powerful unit. But he’s not naïve and says the state of some relationships and attitudes toward women concern him.
‘What I see in society is a real unhappiness and lack of fulfilment
in
relationships—as defined by our divorce rate’, he says. ‘The
way some men talk about their wives … it’s like a hardness,
and I know God didn’t design it that way.’
Paradoxically, the blokey Sharks representative is quite the sensitive new age religious guy. So how does a rugby league player openly live his faith?
‘I have a certainty and assurance not only about the life I am living, but where I am going after this life’, he says. ‘I feel really fulfilled by the Holy Spirit. It gives a sense of wholeness to the way you live your life—that’s why I am not ashamed.’
He also tries to be himself. ‘It’s very easy to try and mould yourself to other people’s expectations and to fit in … I understand that pressure.’
He
believes his relationship with God gives him the freedom to resist outside
pressure and live a life that is right for him—the life that God
has planned for him. ‘It’s a good feeling knowing that you are
unique and valued by God’, he says.
Jason is definitely his own person, but he doesn’t exhibit any signs of righteousness or superiority. He even admits to ‘losing it—but not in a massive way’ on the playing field sometimes, letting people down, and having shortcomings that are sometimes there for everybody to see.
He tries to learn from his mistakes. ‘When I make mistakes, I use it as an example that God loves us just the way we are but also wants us to move to higher ground’, he says.
With a profile, a salary and a lifestyle that most people only get to read about in magazines and watch on television, how does Jason avoid becoming too high and mighty?
‘I have friends who impart God’s wisdom into my life and let me know when I may be acting out of line or if I have an opinion of myself that is too high’, he says. ‘It’s so easy to do and it’s something that sneaks up on you.’
Jason’s family and his bible studies group are also waiting in the wings to bring him back down to earth. And if any other reminders are necessary, Jason considers the psalm attributed to King David as a reminder of where true power lies.
‘I love King David and his heart towards God’, he says. ‘David’s ultimate sign of humility was to dance in the street publicly [before the Lord] … and to say that while I am king on this earth I know who the real king is; and I will humble myself to worship that king.’
Jason hasn’t always been this enamoured with God. A few years ago he was frustrated that many of his relationships seemed to end up in the same place. And while he went to church and was a believer, he hadn’t really connected with God.
‘I thought there had to be something else, something more,’ he says. ‘I had some Christian people around me at the time who had a real peace about their lives and I started going to bible studies with them. I guess I was on that search.’
But there was no Hallelujah Chorus to herald a new life, nor did Jason wake up one day thinking God was the answer. ‘Slowly, as I started to connect with him and with his people, I started to get an understanding of what he did on the cross that day, and then things started to change.’
Jason describes the peace of God entering his life as unlike anything he had ever felt before: ‘I was just happy to know him’, he says.
To ask Jason a question you can go to his website www.jasonstevens.info
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