By Mindy Hopman, FCA Florida Regional Director of Field Ministry

In the world of athletics, the pressure to prove is relentless. Athletes try to earn starting spots, coaches try to build winning programs and everyone hopes to earn respect from teammates, fans, and parents. The message is loud and clear: Prove your value. Earn your worth.

What if the most important things about us (our worth, identity and value) have already been proven? What would it look like if we competed, coached and lived not for love, but from love?

Here is the good news: We are loved wholly and unconditionally by the One who created us. We don’t need to earn His love or chase approval through performance. Christ is love, and in Him we have an identity we could not earn ourselves and can never lose.

Coaches and athletes are high performers wired to pursue and achieve high goals. Our drive can be a good thing, but it can also lead us to look for love and validation in places that were never meant to hold the weight of our identity.

We try to prove we matter by:

●      Who we date – we often think a specific relationship will make us feel complete or valuable.

●      Who we impress – we hope our performance earns affirmation from coaches, parents and teammates.

●      What we achieve – we measure our worth by stats, scholarships, titles or recognition.

●      How we escape – we overindulge in passions, hobbies or even addictions to numb the ache of not feeling enough.

Trying to prove our worth through love or success will always leave us empty.

Read the full blog to be reminided that you are already loved.

-FCA-