Athlete Identity Crisis: 30 Days to Understanding Your Identity in ChristSample

Totally Forgiven

When I coach youth sports, one of the biggest challenges is helping young athletes recover from a mistake and not let it impact the next play.

Every athlete knows what it feels like to mess up. You miss the shot. You turn the ball over. You false start. You blew the assignment. Sometimes, one mistake can feel like it defines the whole game. And if you’re not careful, you can carry that mistake with you into the next play, the next practice, or even the next season.

In life, it’s the same way. We all know what it feels like to fail spiritually—to sin against God by falling short of His standards. And the weight of guilt can feel like carrying a weighted backpack everywhere we go. If we’re honest, many of us live like spiritual athletes stuck in our mistakes, unsure if we’ll ever truly be free.

Paul offers us incredible hope in his letter to the Ephesians: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7 ESV). Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, our sins aren’t just covered up or overlooked—they are completely forgiven.

Christian athlete, being completely forgiven is part of your new identity. It means your past is wiped clean. It means the debt is paid. It means there’s no record of wrongs left hanging over your head. And it’s not based on your ability to make things right—it’s based solely on the riches of His grace. That means there’s more forgiveness in Christ than there is failure in you. We can’t out-sin His grace.

Can you imagine stepping back into competition after a mistake, but with total confidence that your coach has already forgiven you and trusts you? That’s the freedom the gospel gives us in life—we don’t have to play or live shackled by the past. We can move forward in joy, knowing our mistakes don’t define us.

And forgiveness isn’t just about erasing guilt—it’s about restoring a relationship. God’s forgiveness through Jesus redeems us, bringing us back into fellowship with Him. The very thing that separated us from God—our sin—has been removed by the blood of Christ.

Here’s the truth every Christian athlete needs to hold onto: in Christ, you are not defined by your worst moment. You are defined by His forgiveness.

When guilt whispers in your ear, remind yourself of Ephesians 1:7. And when shame tries to hold you back, remember what Jesus did on your behalf.

Question to Consider: What would it look like to play and live “free” because of God’s grace?