Out of Commission

The ball was coming at me. I braced myself, and the moment I made contact, I sprinted. Two steps from first base, I stumbled and felt my foot go too far to one side. Pain shot through me, but I was determined to act tough. I got up covered in dirt and tried to hide my limp as I walked back to the bench. It was my first major ankle sprain. Not the kind you can shake off (despite my efforts) but the kind that makes your dad carry you home after the game and the little kids feed you an insane amount of ice cream and your mom make a poultice out of who-knows-what. But that (and the many injuries that were to follow) put me out of commission for a while. No more running around, trying to beat my brother at things. Nope, it was crutches and a couch for me.

As athletes, that can be hard for us. We hate sitting still. We long to be free to run and jump and compete. It’s hard to watch teammates play without us. It’s hard to be patient and so easy to let frustration take over. But there is so much we can learn when we’re out of commission. It can teach us humility and compassion. It can help us to have mercy on our fellow athletes and to cheer them on despite longing to be out there with them. Most of all, downtime can help us to refocus on God. When we’re forced to take a step back from our sport, we can use that extra time to prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies for the moment we’re allowed back onto the field or in the pool or on the track. So use your out of commission time well. Be still and know that He is God. Reinforce your attitude and faith. Focus on helping your teammates. Get ahead in work or school. Use this time to prepare and refocus so that when the time comes, you’re ready to go.