Deep inside of my soul, God created an adventurous spirit; it might not get out much anymore, but every once in a while, a spark manages to ignite. Now, before your mind imagines me heading out into Uncharted Territory like Lewis and Clark, braving the unknown, camping among the wild animals, the reality is more like an RV with a toilet and air conditioner or even a Hampton Inn along the interstate. But the thrill of visiting unseen places, experiencing something for the very first time, is deeply rooted in my being; I just prefer when someone leaves a path for me to follow.
Choosing to pause a moment and look back over the span of my half century on this planet, I recognize times when I entered Uncharted Territory and could have benefited greatly from an experienced tour guide, yet in my experience, during the time period when I discovered one of my callings in life, there was an absence of women in whose steps I could follow. Finding my niche in sports at the age of 15 as a female working with male sports teams, I did not consider this to be unique, I just knew where I belonged! Even today, I would hesitate to use the term trailblazing, but in some ways, this journey to a career in sports was a path into Uncharted Territory. And I’m thankful for the wisdom and trust that people like my parents, John W. Scott and Maggie Nell Brewer placed in a naïve young lady whose heart just wanted to continue doing what she loved.
As a young sport professional just Chasing a Dream in the mid-1990s, I was unaware that not only were there few athletic programs of our size with full-time sports information directors, Chris Mathes Ziegler and I were the only women SIDs in our conference! And as Jo Saxton shares in Ready to Rise, “There were no road maps or GPS for the journey [we] were now exploring.” With few women in the field of athletics, Chris and I managed to find support from each other, from numerous colleagues, and FCA’s Women in Sport group, so I didn’t ponder too much about an absence of women; however, as I seek to guide Emerging Adults entering the professional world, I am more aware of systemic issues that create obstacles to overcome.
So, now I begin to question if I have left a path for young women to follow, and the thoughts shared by Saxton mirror my own, ”We know we have influence and the opportunities to shape our world, but we’re the first or one of few women in our environment. So we’re all making it up as we go, whatever our life stage (married, single, empty-nester, busy mom), pioneering new policies and practices as we enter them. It’s new and invigorating, and we’re uncertain if we are doing the right thing. It would be great to have someone ahead of us showing us how to make it all work. Yet we follow a God who illuminates our pathways, complications and all, as we try to step into the unknown. Even though we’ve given up and people around us have given up on us, He takes us by the hand and invites us to rise up with the life and strength that only He can give us.”
Because my entire life, as well as yours, is Uncharted Territory, it’s easy to forget the promises of Psalm 139 that He has gone before us and follows us, so that even when there is not another female’s footsteps for me to follow, the One who created my feet will guide me along the path. My hope is more women will enter and remain in the sport profession, that more us further along in the Seasons of a Professional Life will intentionally invest and mentor younger women, because I am aware that “it would be naïve to pretend that living into our God-given dreams is pain-free and easy. It’s not a casual stroll but rather a marathon on tough terrain,” offers Saxton. Because of the difficulty, we need encouragers and sponsors to assist us to the finish line; to provide us the Strong Shoulders to rise up into our callings and to flourish in all areas of our lives.
How might God be challenging you to forge a path into Uncharted Territory? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Reference:
Flourishing @ Life 
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