With the ability to soar to Ten thousand feet (10,000ft), its point of origin, a 15-pound, black and white feathered, yellow-beak bird, embodies the character of a nation. Its wings span the average height of an NBA player. Its roughened toes, and massive, highly arched beak, allows it to snatch its prey, representing the tenacity of its native people. Its vision is more precise than Tiger Woods, as it can see 20 feet away from its point of origin.
If you haven’t guessed, the bird in question is the national bird of the United States of America, the “Sea Eagle,” commonly known as the “Bald Eagle.” The feature I most admire about the Bald Eagle is its ability to look miles beyond. This trait reminds me of the author of Hebrew encouragement to the church to; “fix their eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfector of their faith...” (Hebrews chapter 2 2).
Paul went two steps further when he encouraged the church in Colossi to set their heart and mind on the things above, where Jesus is seated at God’s right hand ( Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 to 3). A heart fixed on Jesus shines brightly in a world filled with darkness. It is a heart filled with hope, rich in truth, and abundant in love.
This perfectly describes my guest for this Living ‘N' Telling edition. His name is Ronnie Baker. He is one of the humblest individuals I have ever met. His story has greatly encouraged me. I hope it does the same for you too.
Ronnie Baker was born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America ( USA), on the 15th of October 1993. He is the eldest of three siblings, his brother and sister being two (2) and four (4) years younger.
At age 5, Ronnie and his family moved to Anchorage, Alaska, USA. He spent most of his elementary years in Alaska before his family moved back to Louisville, Kentucky, during middle school.
During his time in Alaska, Ronnie and his friends would often build snowmen and go sledding. In addition, he and his family often went to church, where Ronnie was a part of the youth choir.
He admitted that he was decent at the matching tone but wasn’t sure he could sing independently. He also participated in cross country. He initially enjoyed it, as he would run for miles, exploring the woods and competing with other children. However, he became uninterested in the event as he got older.
Ronnie started participating in track and field and basketball when he returned to Kentucky. He joined his middle school's track and field and basketball teams. He enjoyed successful moments in both sports; winning medals in the sprint events at the state level, and playing in state regional championships with his school’s basketball team.
As he got older, his success in track and field continued. However, situations were becoming less ideal at home. His mother and father divorced when he was in middle school. His father struggled with alcoholism throughout Ronnie’s childhood, presenting challenges at home. Ronnie admitted that it took him a while to understand what was happening.
Being the eldest, he was always compelled to be a positive role model for his younger siblings. However, now that his father was no longer present in the home. He felt he had to be “ the man” of the house.
This caused Ronnie to resent his father as he believed he never cared about him. He believed that he and his family could live without their father. Hence, Ronnie developed an ego and self-dependence, which, he confessed, negatively affected his relationship with God.
His success in track and field earned him many awards and state recognition. In 2011 and 2012, he was awarded Gatorade State Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year. So it was understandable why Ronnie believed he and his family could cope without their father.
In 2013, Ronnie Baker earned a track and field scholarship to Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, Texas, USA. He would win National Collegiate Athletes Association ( NCAA) titles in the 60m dash in 2015 and 2016.
Many athletes' track and field journey would end at University. Not Ronnie’s. He became a professional athlete in 2016. As a professional athlete, he would travel worldwide, being paid to run for 10 seconds.
In 2018, he won a bronze medal in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England. He is the 3rd fastest man in the history of the 60m with a personal best of 6.40 seconds.
Furthermore, His personal best of 10.83 in the 100m ranks him 7th fastest American in history and joint 15th in the world all-time list. His latest achievement was making it to the finals of the 100m dash at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where he placed fifth.
He is married to his wife, Mickaela Baker, and they are expected to have their first child this year.
In light of all his successes in track and field, Ronnie admitted that he felt he was growing further away from God. At 11, he became interested in knowing about God and who Jesus was. He subsequently got baptized and gave his heart to Jesus Christ.
However, he admitted that he only truly understood his decision until recently. During his teenage, adolescent, and young adult years, Ronnie Baker struggled with lust, pornography, and pride. He admitted that although he knew who God and Jesus were, he never truly understood the significance of who they were and what they did for him.
There were times when Ronnie would doubt God and the Bible's credibility. However, breaking free from pornography played a role in helping him get a better understanding of God’s mind towards him. He believed that his porn addiction sort of created a “ cloud” / “ wall” between him and God.
In 2022, he joined a program named “ Unchained Leader.” This program helped him to overcome his pornographic addiction. Which, in turn, helped Ronnie to become further convinced that Jesus was his Lord and Savior. He was persuaded of his need for a savior to rescue him of sin’s claim on his life.
For years, Ronnie's struggles with sexual sins clouded his judgment. However, his recent involvement in the “Unchained Leader” program made him realize that his porn addiction was similar to his father's addiction to alcohol, which resulted in him being more empathetic towards him.
He experienced some negative effects of addictions on decision-making and socialization with others, particularly loved ones. He realized that though it might have appeared that his father didn’t care about him and his family, it wasn’t entirely true. Ronnie understood that only Jesus is the real game changer. Only He could redeem people’s past actions and give them new life.
This understanding has given him a new motivation in his professional track and field journey. Initially, he was prideful because of his international achievements and global recognition. He was motivated to run faster to be the fastest man in the world to satisfy his ego.
However, such motivation disappointed him when he didn’t achieve his goals. For example, he was greatly disappointed for not medaling in the 100m Olympic final. Furthermore, he was depressed after picking up another long-term injury last year after having such a good year in 2021. His first long-term injury was in 2019.
Now, he runs to make the name of Jesus known to the world. He desires to become the fastest man in the world so that Christ may be glorified in him. So that Christ would receive the spotlight whenever he does exceedingly well. That he would become a credible messenger of the grace and matchless love of Jesus Christ to his followers.
He believes that there is nothing wrong with being the best, but you have to do it with the right heart. He endeavors to do this as God continues to renew his mind. He continues to pursue and delight in God, believing He will give him the desires of his heart ( Psalm chapter 37 verse 4).
One of the greatest lessons that Ronnie has learned is that God is most important. That his time with God is more important than anything else in the world. That having Him means he has everything. World titles and world records won’t always last, but our God is everlasting. Hence we should cherish him always.
He desires for people to know that God is a healer and that He is with us. He wants people to seek God’s heart and to know His thoughts toward them. He wants others to experience the joy he is increasingly experiencing growing in the knowledge of Christ.
He currently has a podcast entitled “ Undefeated Podcast.” A platform that allows athletes to share their raw and unfiltered stories before their encounter with God, and how this encounter has changed their lives. This podcast started in February of this year, and the stories and lessons shared have been inspiring. You can listen to it on Spotify or Apple podcasts.
As Ronnie continues to blaze the track, I pray people will continue to see his victory in the name of Jesus. God has removed Ronnie’s heart of stone and given him the heart of a champion. A heart that stands victorious against sin. A heart that is set on the One who wears Victors' crown. A heart that is glorified in the One who remains undefeated.
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