Formed by the Game: 30 Days of Seeing God in the Liturgies of SportSample

The Training Grind

Every athlete knows the grind of training. The early mornings, the sore muscles, the endless repetitions. These things are often unseen and uncelebrated. Yet those hidden hours shape the performance that everyone else sees on game day. Training requires discipline, consistency, and sacrifice. Without it, athletes quickly fall behind.

Similarly, following Jesus requires daily discipline. Paul reminds us that physical training is valuable, but training in godliness holds eternal value. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident. It takes commitment to open Scripture when you’re tired, to pray when distractions pull at you, and to resist temptations that promise quick pleasure but rob long-term joy. Just as an athlete’s muscles grow stronger through resistance, our faith grows when we push through spiritual challenges.

The grind of training also reminds us that what’s hidden matters most. Championships aren’t won in the spotlight—they’re forged in unseen hours. Likewise, spiritual maturity is shaped in the quiet places: in your room with an open Bible, on a run with God, in prayers whispered when no one is watching.

Athletes train for trophies that fade; Christians train for a crown that never perishes (1 Corinthians 9:25). So embrace the grind. Not just in the weight room or practice field, but in your walk with Jesus. What you build in secret with Him will sustain you in the moments of pressure and temptation.

Prayer:
“Father, give me the strength to embrace the grind of training in godliness. Help me choose discipline over comfort and faithfulness over laziness. May my hidden life with You shape everything I do in public. Amen.”