Made New: Rewriting the Story of Rejection Through God's Truthनमूना

Day 5: Break the Cycle

Before I ever understood the weight of rejection in life, I first felt its sting on the field where missed shots, lost games, and overlooked potential became lessons far greater than the final score.

In the world of sports, there’s a constant, unspoken pressure, the fear that someone, somewhere, is training harder, running faster, or just waiting for their chance to take your spot. This forces many athletes to push harder, but somehow still wrestle with the feeling that it’s never enough to truly be accepted or feel like they belong.

I was a three-year starter and captain of the football team while playing at Boston College. During my career, that pressure to perform was relentless. Every practice, every rep, every game felt like a tryout, because there’s always someone younger, faster, or hungrier gunning for your position. I learned how to play with eyes in the back of my helmet, constantly looking over my shoulder, and even when I won, the feeling of not being good enough never really left. This pressure followed me, even after I took off the cleats and left the locker room. It followed me into my dorm room, into the classroom, and then back into every position meeting. The fear of rejection even came at the cost of sacrificing my body and playing through significant injuries because I refused to allow someone else to take my position. Looking back now, I wish I had known that no one could take the position that I had in the kingdom.

But while the field taught me to earn my worth through performance, my faith showed me a more profound truth that God’s love wasn’t something I had to compete for. Being His son meant I was already chosen and already accepted, without needing to prove myself.

When I began to understand the power of God’s acceptance and love, it gave me the strength and awareness to live it out through my days. I realized that my name had residency in God’s kingdom. And here’s some food for thought: we walk differently into a house we call home than we do into a stranger’s. That same confidence, that same sense of belonging, is what I began to carry in my walk with God.

The beautiful thing about God is that He uses all things, wins, losses, pain, and purpose for His good. He allows it to shape us into the masterpiece of His image. I truly believe God used sports to teach me how to be coachable, how to take criticism, and how to receive correction. If I couldn’t take it from a human coach, how could I ever have the context to receive it from the Lord? Because God coaches us daily, it’s called conviction. Conviction is evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Conviction is a gift from the Holy Spirit, not to shame us, but to shape us, to correct us in love so we can grow into who we were called to be.

Reflection Questions:

• In what areas of your life have you been performing for acceptance, rather than living from the acceptance you already have in Christ?
• Can you identify moments where fear of being replaced or not being enough has caused you to compromise your well-being, values, or identity?
• How is God using your past experiences, both wins and losses, to coach and convict you into the person He created you to be?

Prayer:

Father God, I want to thank you for your mercy and grace. I want to thank you for your faithfulness in every promise that you’ve kept. Thank you for keeping the promise that you will never forsake your children. Thank you for loving me even when I don’t feel it. God, I ask that you allow your children to feel your warmth and your touch in your presence. Father, I pray that you will continue to rewrite your children's story and remove any lies and false narratives that do not align with your word. I pray that you will remove anything that doesn’t reflect or speak your truth in and through your children's lives. Father, help your children to take one step closer to you. I pray that your children will see your reflection when standing in the mirror. In your name, I pray, Amen.