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

Peace with God

A soccer player I once discipled told me that when he subbed into his first college game, his coach whispered in his ear, "Don't screw this up."

The world of competitive sports is often a hotbed of anxiety. Athletes face constant pressures: the pressure to perform, the fear of making mistakes, the burden of expectations, and the uncertainty of outcomes. The strain that sports put on an athlete’s mental health can feel paralyzing. How do we cope?

We often swing toward two extremes. The pressure proves to be too much, so we quit (that's what this particular soccer player did). Or we double down and give chase harder for peace and contentment through athletic achievements. And it makes sense why we would choose either option. Sports demands we give everything we are and everything we have—and they sell us on the lie that when we achieve the success we’re after, we’ll finally taste contentment.

If you’ve ever reached the pinnacle of success in sport, you know this promised peace from sport is fleeting.

But Christian athletes have access to a peace that transcends athletic promises. More than that, our identity in Christ offers a profoundly different and unshakable source of peace: we have peace with God. This is what Paul says about peace in his letter to the Romans: "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2 ESV).

This means that through Jesus' sacrifice, our broken relationship with a holy God has been fully restored. The spiritual war within us is over; we are reconciled to our Creator. This foundational peace is not a feeling that comes and goes; it's a secure status that frees us from the burden of needing to earn God's favor or prove our worth.

And notice what Paul adds: because of this peace, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Peace leads to hope. When you know you’re secure in Christ, you can face trials, setbacks, and uncertainties with confidence that God is working all things for His glory and your good.

Athlete, let the truth of Romans 5 sink deep into your heart: in Christ, you are at peace with God. You are standing in grace. And nothing—no loss, no failure, no fear—can take that away.

Questions to Consider: What anxieties or pressures in your sport most frequently disrupt your inner peace? How does establishing your "peace with God" through Christ allow you to experience a deeper, more enduring peace that transcends competitive outcomes?

PS If you've enjoyed this 30-day plan, I think you would enjoy the other resources we create at www.thechristianathlete.com or my book, The Christian Athlete: Glorifying God in Sports.