"Whether I Eat or Drink" - A Testimony by Luke Lindenmeyer
There came a point in my journey where I had to stop comparing myself to everyone else. My freshman year, I was looking at those 11 or 12 guys ahead of me on the depth chart, thinking I just had to be better than them. I was constantly measuring my skill set against someone else's, watching how hard they worked, trying to outdo them. But that mentality drained me—mentally and spiritually. I felt empty, wondering why I was even still doing this.
Everything changed when I started competing with myself instead of comparing myself to others. I realized that my 100% might look different from someone else's 80% because they're just naturally gifted. But if I know I'm giving it my all—if each rep I'm putting out there is offered as a sacrifice to God—then I know I'm pleasing my Creator.
That's when Scripture became real for me: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." It doesn't matter if it's a workout in the garage, studying the playbook at 2 AM, or running a route in practice that nobody notices. Every single thing I do, I'm doing it to bring glory to God.
When I approach football this way—when I approach life this way—the pressure changes. I'm not performing for coaches' approval or fans' applause. I'm not trying to prove I belong or earn my spot through comparison. I'm simply offering my best effort as worship, trusting that God will use it according to His plan.
Whether I eat or drink, whether I'm lifting weights or running routes, whether I'm the starter or sitting the bench—I do it all to the glory of God. That's what gives my journey purpose beyond football. That's what turns a walk-on story into something eternal.
