Years after competing in track and field at the collegiate level, I found myself in a state of wondering. Life made a lot more sense while running track and going to school. The actions of training, working hard, discipline, proper rest and care yielded the direct results of improved performance. The process of patience and waiting had obvious mile-markers in the form of competition seasons, semesters and stats. You always knew where you were and how far you had left to go. Even my relationship with Jesus Christ, at that time, was a means to an athletic end with actions and anticipated results. Quiet times, reading the Bible and devotions were part of my athletic process of doing what it took to get the results I desired.
All of that changed when it was time to lay down my spikes and engage a new life journey: Adulting. The path to success was no longer straight after sports and school. As a matter of fact, the very concept of success became less and less clear.
I started developing a more appropriate perspective of true success through Scripture like Matthew 7:24-25:
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.”
I learned that the prizes of life are not my athletic accomplishments, my post-athletics career or the other temporary things I greatly valued. The greatest prize is and will always be God Himself.
David got that. The shepherd-turned-king of Israel wrote in the Psalms:
“LORD, you are my portion
and my cup of blessing;
you hold my future.
The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6)
That changed everything for me.
Read the full article to learn more about what it means when your identity in Christ gives you a new way to perform.