Summer had started to arrive; with it came the 2019-2020 athletic season. Though I was a part of the dance team the previous year, a knee injury during tryouts kept me from making this year’s team. Determined to stay in a sport and not waste the summer away, I tried again and again for sports. It was this persistence through failure that would ultimately lead me to something much better. After missing the dance team, I tried out for several sports. First came cheer; I practiced every day to no avail. Next was volleyball and tennis, and yet again–I didn’t make the team. At this point, I questioned if it was my fault and if maybe I just wasn’t cut out to be an athlete, but I decided not to give up. Instead, I looked on the school website and found golf. Golf? I didn’t even know our school had a golf team! The best part about the school golf program was that there were no tryouts. So, my parents took me to golf–even though I had never held a club in my life. I had no idea what I was doing. Even so, I got out on the course, improperly dressed and without a set of clubs. Eventually, these came, and the first season passed pretty quickly. But it taught me the fundamentals. Having learned the basics during the season, I fell in love with golf during the off-season. I practiced passionately every day, planning my next practice while still on the course. Every night, I laid out my clothes for the next day. I would wake up in a state of euphoria, knowing I had the opportunity to practice. I focused on a new concept every day, watching videos online to figure out techniques to solve issues. Applying the information I learned online and practicing every day, I learned to properly swing a club and which club to use for different situations. Running with this passion, I received an email for a program to connect with colleges to play golf, saved up, and signed up. Soon, to my surprise, I had hundreds of emails from coaches asking me to play on their teams. It looked as if my love for golf was leading me to college! If I had made any other high school sport, my future would look much different. Today I am thankful for the rejections that ultimately pushed me to the right door. This experience taught me that God is at work even when it hurts. He closes doors that are not meant for us and directs our paths. Trusting in Him and not giving up led to opportunities I never would have imagined.