In this letter to students, Girls Soccer Coach Maria Selvaggio reflects on God’s faithfulness amidst the loss of the spring sports season.

Hi Wheaton Academy Students,

As one of your coaches, I wanted to share some thoughts I’ve been reflecting on during this time. Psalm 46:10 has been on my heart lately. It says,

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

‘Being still’ is often a challenge for me, but especially in this season of spring sports. We were all gearing up for a great and busy spring season! Months of training and preparations, and out of nowhere a pandemic happens. I have to remind myself daily to take a step back from the shock, the frustrations, and the disappointment, and remember that there is One who is in control of all of this. He is not surprised by any of this. He is not shaken by any of this. In fact, He ordained all of this, for our good and His glory.

Author John Piper once said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” We cannot begin to fathom the details in the events being orchestrated all around us right now. We don’t know why or how it will all shake out. But we can be still in the fact that we do know we have a God who loves us and works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

And right now, He is telling all of us to “be still, and know that I am God.” No matter what happens, we will all be okay. God’s got this. He’s at work, and it’s all going as planned.

The second half of Psalm 46:10 says, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” I don’t know if we will be reunited in June for an abbreviated spring season. But I do know that God WILL be exalted on the earth, and ultimately that’s what matters most. He WILL do His work. It may look different than we planned for, but it doesn’t mean it’s not good. Our mission as a school is to worship and glorify God. Maybe we don’t get to worship together through our sports right now. But, we can still praise our God for His wonderous love, His unfathomable works, and all the good that is happening all around us. We can still be still, and know. And we can still choose joy in each day and joy in all that we do. I pray Psalm 46 is on our hearts as we go through this month ahead.

Blessings to you all,
Coach Maria Selvaggio