Hi,

Tonight at 6pm I enter a 72-hour DeColores Christian retreat, and I ask that you pray for me as I dedicate this retreat to finding God’s will in my work and how I may best serve you. 

It has long been on my heart to do more and make a bigger impact. I wish to maximize the gifts He has given me, and through my career bring him glory. I am excited about what God has planned for us. I hope He will trust me with more responsibilities in the years ahead to bless you all. And when all is done, may He say, “Well done, Eddie, my good and faithful servant.” Please pray this for me (and us). (And scroll down for a lesson on this verse.)

And as he is a great giver, I also ask for prayers for improved health (my body is breaking down with sport injuries) and a miracle healing of my Type 1 diabetes (I think he may have told my son this miracle is coming - but that’s another story to tell when it is fulfilled. How wonderful if it was this weekend!)

Enjoy the bible verses below, and how they apply to managing anxiety and sport excellence.

Best,

Dr Eddie

***

Do Not Be Anxious

The Bible has a lot to say about how to manage our performance anxiety, and I’d like to start with my favorite verse that instructs us in Philippians 4:6-7.

I do think God cares about sports. He created them. He wants us to play well because He loves excellence (see the next post below for more on this).

We are instructed to use the gifts and talents he gave us (James 1:17; Romans 12:6-8; 1Peter 4:10; Matthew 25:14-30).

And because we care about doing well, our human instinct is to worry about it as a way to protect us from harm for if we fail, it will hurt. You can see my many posts on what to do about the from a sport psych perspective (check out videos on mindfulness, the fire alarm metaphor, the S.E.E. technique, and others on YouTube) … but what does Scripture say?

In this verse, we are instructed respond in these specific ways:

“𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, …” - this means no matter how frightened we are or how real the threat is, God does not want us to turn to or stay in anxiety,

“… 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, …” - a reinforcing statement that in every occasion we are to respond to anxiety in the following way:

“… 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 …” - turn to God and talk to Him

“… 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, …” - ask Him for what you want

“…𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴, …” - it is important to maintain perspective and give gratitude to God for the things he has already provided (e.g., for blessing us with athletic talent, for an opportunity to do something great, for our teammates, etc.)

“… 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱. …” Be specific (so when he answers you know he heard you and responded)

“… 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱, …” - The ultimate opposite of anxiety!

“… 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 …” - You might find the peace you experience is different than what you thought it would be. You might find the peace come upon you from a different perspective or outcome than you asked for, but it assuredly will be the best for you as God is consistently all good and cares for us (Isaiah 41:10)

“… 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀." This is His promise!

So our prayer when anxious about letting down others (for example) might sound like this:

• “Father God, thank you for the skills you have blessed me with. My speed and strength. My stick handling skills. I am grateful to be able to put these on display for you in this tournament tomorrow. I love my teammates and don’t wish to disappoint them. I ask that you bless me with a good night’s sleep so I have the energy and clear focus tomorrow to play my best. Help me be encouraging of others and respond to mistakes by learning from them, making immediate corrections so I do not repeat them. I ask this in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.”

When we want to excel in our sport for the glory of God, His peace finds us, clears our mind and lightens our heart.

***

Think of excellence

Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us to let go of anxiety and instructed us how to respond in prayer. If we are not to be anxious, the very next verse tells us what we should direct our attention to:

I take this verse as God's blessing on sport psychology

It makes sense that our Creator God, who made so many wonderful and amazing things, wants us to fill our minds with excellence. To use our talents and spiritual gifts to the very best of our ability. That is why he gave them to us! Our pursuit of excellence can glorify Him when we use them with gratitude and appreciation.

He delights in our spiritual, emotional, physical, mental growth.

So when you are anxious trying to impress others and wanting to let family or teammates down, remember this: You are performing for an audience of One. And he is pleased with your pursuit of excellence (even when we make honest mistakes).

***

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

In the parable of the bags of gold (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells the story of a man who goes on a journey, entrusting different amounts of his wealth to three of his servants - each according to his ability. Upon his return, two of the servants "put their money to work" and doubled their investment. The third, however, buried his investment for fear of losing it. The master was not pleased with the third. To the other two who invested the gifts they were given he said, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" 

God similarly gives each of us gifts that he wants us to use and develop. These gifts may be athletic, academic, financial, or character traits. When we do not invest in our abilities and succumb to laziness, God is displeased. However it brings him joy and happiness when we work hard to develop our skills. Notice the word "faithful" in the passage, one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). To be faithful, one must be committed to an action over a long period of time. Consistency is essential.

In this parable and in the context of sport, God challenges us to acknowledge the athletic gifts he has given us (speed, strength, agility, mental toughness, etc.) and diligently develop them over time. Work hard at practice. Commit to training and take care of your mind and body. Push through adversity. Always play and practice with your best effort and intensity.

In this way, may you please God so that He looks at you and says, "Well done, good and faithful servant!”

***

Dr. Eddie O’Connor

www.DrEddieOConnor.com

DrEddie@dreddieoconnor.com