Cedars, Spring 2021

“That was the first time in my entire life that I’ve seen being a Christian and being an athlete be one,” Murphy explained. “And to be able to finally see I can compete, I can love others well, I can still be myself and still win with integrity and honesty? Walking away, I’m like, ‘I can be this. It doesn’t have to be two versions of me.’” This was the beginning of a transformational work in Murphy’s life. It set her on a trajectory to dedicate her entire life to Christ, but it would be a process. “Those next four months, it was just a ton of questions in my head,” Murphy said. When she went home for the holidays that year, she felt it was truly a benchmark for her to see how much she’d changed. She had the opportunity to talk through all of her thoughts with her mom, who reminded her that “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship.” It wasn’t until four months after the game against Cedarville that Murphy completely gave her life to Christ. She was at a women’s conference, and the speaker was using an analogy with a lot of bags strapped all around her. She said, “Wouldn’t it be so awesome if there was a way to release all of this?” The speaker then proceeded to explain that there was, and it was through salvation in Jesus Christ. That was when Murphy laid it all down before the Lord and accepted Him as her Savior. “Instead of finding my validation and my love and my life in sports and in my friendships and relationships, I could finally breathe and step back and be like, ‘Lord, I can put my identity in You,’” said Murphy. Murphy’s life changed after that, and so did her approach to volleyball. From that point on, she played with integrity, bringing light to her team through the truth of the Gospel. Though she had been relatively serious about her intention to transfer from West Alabama, she quickly realized why God had her stay, as she was able to show others on her team and in her program the love she had been shown. After graduation, Murphy began her career in sports broadcasting and became a sports information assistant. At the same time, she was coaching and juggling a lot of other responsibilities, pulling her in a ton of different directions. Then, in September of 2018, Murphy’s life began to fall apart when her fiancé called off their wedding. “I kind of fell away fromGod for a minute,” she said. “I had everything planned in my head of what life was supposed to look like, and it was the biggest realization moment that the Lord was like, ‘This is not your life. Let me take you.’” The time after that was naturally extremely difficult. Murphy had the desire to continue in spiritual disciplines and follow the Lord’s direction, but it was a challenge. Spring 2021 22 Callie Murphy (left) coaches her team in practice. “I had everything planned in my head of what life was supposed to look like, and it was the biggest realization moment that the Lord was like, ‘This is not your life. Let me take you.’”