Scripture: Romans 15:13

Fueled by Joy 

Before Competition

Have you ever had a hard time falling asleep the night before a big game? Has your heart ever started beating really fast before the opening whistle blows? Anticipation, excitement, and nerves before a competition are common. But we all process those feelings in different ways. 

When we learn to channel this energy into something productive, it can fuel us to compete at our best. Yet, if you don’t know how to manage these feelings of excitement, they can bring anxiety and fear. This can wind up hurting your performance. 

My senior year of college, I was so excited for our opening soccer game. It was on our home field, against one of our biggest rivals. I was starting and had been named a captain for the year. This was my moment to establish myself as a leader and make a statement against one of the best teams in the country. 

But as we prepared for kickoff, I let the moment get too big. The excitement I felt turned into anxiety and an endless loop of “what if” questions circled in my mind. 

• “What if I make a big mistake that costs us the game?” 
• “What if my teammates don’t trust me as their captain?” 
• “What if I am not the player I thought I was?” 

I got so nervous that I found the nearest trashcan to throw up! 

Thankfully, one of my teammates and close friends came over and lovingly put her hand on my back. She reminded me what mattered most—playing with love for the game and for my teammates. When we do something we love, we radiate joy. 

In Romans 15:13, Paul talks about a joy that comes from being in a relationship with God. It is a joy that fills us up so much that we overflow! Think of your heart as a cup. When a cup is full to the top with water, there is no room for anything else. When we are full of the joy that comes from God, there is no room in our hearts or minds for fear, anxiety, or doubt. 

In the Romans verse, Paul talks about joy’s partner—peace. Joy and peace go together. When we focus on joy as our why, peace also flows in our hearts. A peace that has the power to calm anxious thoughts and to crush doubts. A peace that keeps us focused on what could go right during a competition and away from what could go wrong. 

What is the product of an athlete’s heart full of joy and peace before a competition? An overflowing of hope. Today, we tend to use hope as a wish that may or may not come true. But Biblical hope is a confident expectation, not a wish or feeling. It’s based on the belief that God is faithful and keeps his promises. 

I don’t know about you, but I want to be the kind of teammate who gives others this kind of hope. Hope, even if we’re the underdogs. Hope, even in the face of a moment of unexpected adversity. Hope, even when the moment feels bigger than our abilities. Hope, even when nerves threaten to freeze us. 

I have found that reflecting on moments where I have felt joy in my relationship with Jesus keeps me grounded before a big competition. I remember God has blessed me with the opportunity to do something that I love. Knowing that keeps my mind at peace when nerves, anxiety, and doubt try to steal my joy. 

Application Questions: 

• What joyful moment from God can you recall to calm anxious thoughts? 
• Who on your team or in your circle can you be a source of hope for? 

Prayer: 

God, we praise you for your unending supply of joy and peace. We are grateful that we can confidently place our hope in You. We ask that You allow joy and peace to come into our hearts, especially in the anxious moments, and that You help us remember to compete with that joy in mind. Help us be a source of hope to our teammates and the people around us so we can face any challenge that comes our way with a grateful heart. Amen.

Scriptures: Isaiah 40:30-31, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalms 23:1

Joy in the Battle 

Competition

Think about a time when you did something challenging. Maybe it was a tough conditioning session in the heat or playing through freezing temperatures. Or a moment when you were completely exhausted but still pushed through. Whatever that moment is for you, I want you to visualize that moment and notice how you felt. How did you react to that adversity? How did you find the strength to keep going? 

Being an athlete is challenging. It is physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. We are asked to give our best every day. Yet, when the source of our strength comes from ourselves, we will grow tired. Our reserve of strength is limited; we are only human after all. But as followers of Christ, we have access to God’s unlimited supply of strength through the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 40:30-31 tells us that even though we get tired and stumble, those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will rise high like eagles, run without tiring, and walk without growing weak. 

What a word of encouragement! This verse has carried me through tough workouts and times when I wanted to quit. If you’re like me, you might still find yourself feeling weak even though you know the Lord is with you. How do we tap into God’s unlimited supply of strength when we need it most? Through a smile! 

Nehemiah 8:10 tells us not to grieve, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. 

In my junior year of college, we played an NCAA tournament game in the middle of a snowstorm. Rather than complain about the weather and snow-covered field, my team embraced it. We danced around in the snow and laughed before kickoff. Sixteen seconds into the match, we scored a goal. Our joy carried us through a difficult moment and gave us the strength to battle extreme weather. 

Joy is an incredible source of strength. Think about it. Consider the contrast of someone who approaches life with a positive attitude. They are much more likely to accomplish the task at hand than someone who is discouraged. Emotional energy is powerful! We can find strength by approaching a competition or tough training session with a smile. A positive outlook helps us face the challenge. The joy of the Lord is constant and immovable. No circumstance can shake it. 

Psalm 23:1 says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” What great news for us! It means that God has already given us all we need. Whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives, we already have. That means that we can approach every challenge with a joyful heart and a positive outlook. 

Application Questions: 

• What is one way you can remind yourself that you operate in God’s strength, not your own, during a match or competition? 
• What is one area in your training plan where you can work on a more joyful attitude? 

Prayer: 

God, we thank You that when we are weak, You are strong. Help us draw strength from our faith in you. May we operate not on our own but in the joy and power of the Holy Spirit. Help us remember that in You, we lack nothing! Amen.

Scriptures: James 1:2-3, Romans 8:28

Joy through the Process 

After Competition

Psalm 20:5: “We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant you all your requests.” 

Close your eyes and think of your favorite moment of victory in your sport. Take a deep breath and put yourself back in that space. Think about how you felt, what you were saying, and your reaction to that winning moment. 

It’s easy to praise God and be joyful when we win, and we should! Victory is something worthy of celebration. It would be great if God answered every prayer to win a game. But this isn’t reality. Sometimes, we give our best, and we still lose. What do we do then?

The book of James tells us to count it all joy when we face trials. Wait a second…God wants us to be joyful not only when we win but also when we lose? Yes, He does! 

Losing is painful, and no athlete enjoys that feeling. But we must understand that in every challenge, there is a purpose. In James, God tells us the purpose is to develop perseverance.

My college career didn’t begin the way I had hoped. Three weeks into the season, I suffered a season-ending ACL tear, my second in a year. I went through rehab and worked really hard to be ready for the next season. Only a few days into preseason, I suffered a third knee injury, forcing me to miss another season. 

It would have been easy to get upset with God, sulk in my circumstances, and lose hope. But I trusted that God was preparing me for something better. 

He allows us to go through pain so we can grow and develop into mature followers of Christ. I found joy in knowing God was molding me into something better. I carried that assurance into that challenging season of injuries. Because of that joy, I was able to mentor other teammates. Three years later, that perseverance paid off. I signed a contract to play for a professional soccer team. 

God cares about whether we win or lose and whether we are healthy or injured. But He cares much more about who we are than what we accomplish. We can be joyful during challenges, trusting that God is working everything for our good (Romans 8:28). We can find joy in knowing that God is working on our hearts to make us more like Him. Becoming more like Jesus is something worth celebrating! 

When we win, I praise Jesus and give God the glory. When I am able to compete at my best, I praise God for allowing me to do what I love. When we lose, I still praise Jesus and thank Him for shaping me into who He created me to be. 

Application Questions: 

• What Bible verse can remind you God is still working when you are going through something difficult? 
• Who is someone who can encourage you to stay faithful in praise after a loss, during an injury, or any other moment of adversity? 

Prayer: 

God, we thank You that You work all things together for our good. Help us remember to give You all the glory when we are successful and help us remember to continue to praise You when we aren’t. We know that in every season and through every challenge, You are with us. Help us find joy in the process of becoming more like You, even when it’s painful.

Scriptures: Galatians 5:22, 1 Timothy 6:18

Contagious Joy 

Being a Christian Teammate

Think about the best teammate you’ve ever had. What made them a good teammate? How did they make you feel? What actions showed they cared about you? How did this person impact the culture of the locker room? How about the team’s performance? 

Galatians 5:22 lists the fruit of the Spirit. The traits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

These qualities come out when we are living our lives connected to a relationship with Jesus. This fruit of the Spirit can be a powerful tool for us to impact our teammates in a positive way. 

In college, I had a teammate who was grumpy in the mornings. Now, I don’t blame her because we had some early morning workouts. Grumpy is about everyone’s natural state at 6 a.m.! One semester, I made it my mission to bring joy to this teammate in the morning. So, every single day, I went to her and gave her a big hug. She hated it! But eventually, it became something that we all laughed at every day. I think it brought her some much-needed joy too. 

When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we experience the wonderful fruit of the Spirit in our hearts. But God doesn’t call us to keep them to ourselves. He has called us to influence those around us and share those good fruits with them!

My favorite movie is an old classic called It’s a Wonderful Life. There is a quote in the movie that says, “All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away.” I love that! When we try to hold on to joy for ourselves, we will end up losing it. Joy is meant to be shared. 

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:18 that the way to experience life as God intended is to be generous in good works. For athletes, we can use this message to shape the way we interact with teammates. Being generous may look like giving a teammate a ride to practice in the morning. It may look like helping your coach clean up equipment and carry ball bags after training. It may be encouraging a teammate who made a mistake in a game. Or it can be as simple as giving a teammate a hug when you first see them in the morning. 

The great thing about this type of service is that the more joy, love, and kindness we give away, the more we get to experience ourselves. Keep this in mind as you interact with your teammates. Generosity leads to abundance! 

Application questions: 

• What is one way you can serve your teammates this week 
• Who is someone in your life who has been generous with their joy toward you? How can you make your teammates feel like this person made you feel? 

Prayer: 

God, thank you for your Spirit that lives in us. Help us be generous in the way we share the good things You have blessed us with. Give us the heart of a servant to build our teammates up. Help us understand that the more we give away, the more of You we get to experience. Amen.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 9:25, Psalms 16:11

Eternal Joy 

Solid Foundation

Competition often brings happy feelings. It is a great feeling to win a hard fought game! Think of an exciting moment in your sport that left you feeling happy. Now, think about how you felt about that moment two days later. A month later? A year later? Thinking about that moment likely still brings positive feelings. But the further removed we are from that event, the more the joy fades. 

One season, my team won a semi-final match in front of a sold-out crowd in unforgettable fashion. We were down one goal, and we scored on the very last play of the game to tie it up! We then won in penalty kicks. I thought the happiness from that moment would last my entire lifetime. Then, the next week, we lost in the championship. That high of winning quickly faded into disappointment at losing a week later. 

The life of an athlete is unpredictable, and we face highs and lows. If our joy depends on circumstances, setbacks can easily discourage us. In His goodness, God offers us a better way. He offers us joy that doesn’t depend on wins or losses but on Him alone.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul compares our walk with God to that of an athlete competing. He says that athletes train hard for a temporary prize, but we pursue an eternal reward. 

Paul tells us here that our “crowns”–our trophies, medals, or number of wins will not last. But the prize from placing our faith in Jesus–the prize of eternal life with him–that crown will last forever. 

Psalm 16:11 says, “But in His presence there is fullness of joy.” God makes a beautiful promise to us in this Psalm. That promise is the fullness of joy in His presence. Fullness means God gives a joy that is completely satisfying and will not fade. With Him, our hearts stay joyful forever!

This doesn’t mean we can’t be sad or disappointed. It simply means we build the source of joy on a secure foundation. Even though our loss that season disappointed me, I still carried joy in my heart. Why? Because I store my treasure in heaven. I cling to a joy no one can take away. I find my joy in the presence of my Savior. Not in wins, not in achievements, not in looking good in front of the fans, but in Jesus alone! 

Application questions: 

• What is a verse or quote that can keep you focused on an eternal perspective rather than an earthly perspective? 
• How can eternal joy bring freedom for you to compete at your best? 

Prayer: 

God, we thank you that you offer us a different type of joy, a joy that does not fade. We ask that You help us keep our eyes focused on your joy, and not just on our success. Help us train our faith for the eternal prize of life with you. Amen.