Leaving Fear in the Dust

During Competition

Competition day brings a mix of emotions. You're about to showcase the results of your hard training and sacrifices to get to this point. But feelings of fear, doubt, and nerves can creep in. If you are not careful, this can paralyze you and prevent you from performing well. You divert much needed energy to battle anxiety and fear as your body tightens up.

The morning of Cindy Sember’s first race back from injury involved a lot of worry and anxiety. These were some of her thoughts:

• I was worried I would run a terrible time that would prove the doctors right.
• I was worried that my achilles wasn’t healed, and I would run the risk of hurting myself again.
• I was worried that I would disappoint those who had helped me get back to competing.

Cindy said, “I had to lean on my faith in God and what His Word says about who I am. I had to separate my identity from the result. I needed to keep my identity on the One who created me to be the athlete that I am.”

When these feelings start to overwhelm you, like Cindy, remind yourself of who God is and what He can do through you. God can do more than we can in our own strength. That alone should give you hope.

One thing you can do to ease your mind is to write down Bible verses. Writing them down and saying them out loud can help you feel calmer. Here are some verses that Cindy thinks about on race days:

• Wholehearted trust and submission instead of human understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6)
• Be strong, courageous and not afraid, God is with you. (Joshua 1:9)
• Run to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

By filling your mind with Scripture, you do not leave room for fear and doubt to enter. Even when they creep in, continue to pray. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says “to take captive your thoughts” which plant seeds of faith and God’s unconditional love for us.

It’s game day. Leave your doubts behind and play for His glory!

Action Points:

• Find some verses that help calm your mind and set your perspective. Write them down. Put them in a place where you can see them.
• Repeat the verses out loud and in your head.
• In the moments before your race or game, pray that God will give you strength and leave the results to him. His love is unconditional! Make this a habit.

Prayer:

“Dear Jesus, help me be strong and courageous. I know you are always with me. Help me to leave behind my doubts and compete for your glory. Give me strength. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”