SportGoMag is for sportspersons around the world to tell their life, sport and faith in Christ-centered stories.

With God All Things are Possible - Talavou Aleilima

Half Samoan and half Sri Lankan, I’ve spent the majority of my life in Sri Lanka. In the early part of my sporting career I was representing Sri Lanka in shot put.

God blesses us with a certain talent, but my own talent can only mean so much. It’s important that I put my talent under the Lord. He is the one who makes it go long distance. As an athlete I have learned to depend on Him for competitions. I’ve learned to depend on Him for wisdom because with shot put and discus in Sri Lanka, there are no coaches. There’s no one to teach you; it’s something you figure out. You need to discover areas where you need to do better in your sport. There is a lot of asking the Holy Spirit, “How does this work?” He really is the one who has coached me in my sport. 

Before Christ I was quite arrogant; I was self-centered and full of myself. I thought I could do everything on my own. But after salvation I realized it’s not about me, it’s about what God wants to do through me. What He has for me is so much greater than my self-centered life. It’s much more exciting! I realized that walking with God is a wonderful experience, you can trust Him to do what others would say is impossible. WIth yourself it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. 

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” —Matthew 19:26

—Talavou Aleilima, Sri Lankan Track and Field competitor

With God All Things are Possible - Talavou Aleilima

Jan 22, 2020

Half Samoan and half Sri Lankan, I’ve spent the majority of my life in Sri Lanka. In the early part of my sporting career I was representing Sri Lanka in shot put. God blesses us with a certain talent, but my own talent can only mean so much. It’s important that I put my talent under the Lord. He is the one who makes it go long distance. As an athlete I have learned to depend on Him for competitions. I’ve learned to depend on Him for wisdom because with shot put and discus in Sri Lanka, there are no coaches. There’s no one to teach you; it’s something you figure out. You need to discover areas where you need to do better in your sport. There is a lot of asking the Holy Spirit, “How does this work?” He really is the one who has coached me in my sport.  Before Christ I was quite arrogant; I was self-centered and full of myself. I thought I could do everything on my own. But after salvation I realized it’s not about me, it’s about what God wants to do through me. What He has for me is so much greater than my self-centered life. It’s much more exciting! I realized that walking with God is a wonderful experience, you can trust Him to do what others would say is impossible. WIth yourself it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.  “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” —Matthew 19:26 —Talavou Aleilima, Sri Lankan Track and Field competitor