Football is full of uncertainties. When I was getting ready for a game, I wasn’t sure what would happen. Was I going to win or lose? Was I going to perform well or struggle to find a rhythm in the game? Would our opponents be stronger or more prepared than us? It’s impossible to find security in our circumstances or our own abilities.
There is only one thing that brings REAL security: knowing that God is with you and for you.
But even when I was secure in my spiritual life, I still experienced feelings of nervousness and anxiety about the result of a game or playing on the biggest stage at the World Cup.
What I learned while having to manage these feelings was this: God doesn’t criticize us for our emotions, He understands them.
Experiencing emotions is a part of being human. Rather than beating myself up for feeling these things or believing that my faith wasn’t strong enough, I chose to bring all my worries to God.
Surrendering these emotions to the promise of Jesus allowed me to play with freedom, striving for excellence, while knowing that whatever happened, God was with me.
Sometimes as Christians, we think that God with us means that we will always be victorious and successful. So when we lose or fail, we can feel like we’ve let God down and feel ashamed.
At some points in my career, I have been criticized. I could look back on this time in my career with shame, but instead, I see those difficult seasons as the vehicle through which God revealed his love, mercy, grace, and compassion to me.
When we focus on the results rather than God’s love for us, we can sometimes shame ourselves and shame others when things don’t turn out like we wanted them to.
Shame and guilt are dangerous. They creep into our hearts and minds, convincing us that God doesn’t care about us or our struggles. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
We are always important to God. He is not indifferent to our pain. He allows us to live in difficult places so that we can become more like Him and better reflect the values of His Kingdom! When we come to realize this, we can see the goodness of God in every situation. And when we lead with confidence in our belonging to Jesus, shame, guilt and other false identities fade away.
Challenge
When have you been critical of your emotions? How can you better define and understand those emotions so that you can surrender them to Jesus?
When have you felt ashamed after a loss or failure? What can you learn about God’s character from those challenging moments?
How can you take what you’ve learned about God in the challenging moments to look towards the future with hope?
Prayer
Father, we are so grateful that you understand. Today, we bring all of our emotions to you – whether it’s happiness, or fear, or excitement or anxiousness, we surrender it to you. Help us to remember your great love for us in every situation. Let us be confident in our relationship with you so that we can live and compete free from shame and guilt. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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