Thankful in Circumstances

As athletes and coaches, we experience a vast range of conditions and situations as we train, learn, grow, and compete in our sport. These circumstances can be overwhelmingly positive--such as a successful season, achieving a goal, or making your dream team. However, they can also be negative and discouraging. As coaches, we may find ourselves coaching a difficult group of athletes or leading our team through a season of loss or deferment. As athletes, we might find ourselves struggling to improve our skills, sitting the bench more than we thought we would, or experiencing defeat time and again. But we know that our circumstances do not last forever; they come and they go just like a rainbow after a storm. At times, this is hard to understand clearly whether we’re experiencing something challenging or victorious.

As Christian coaches and athletes, God calls us to live and compete with a heart of thanksgiving. Living with a thankful heart is intentional, and it is not dependent on our circumstances. God sees our victories and defeats and our trials and our triumphs, and He understands our circumstances perfectly. But no matter what, our God desires us to be thankful. Why? The Bible tells us that God is good all the time and all the time He is good. We can be thankful in any circumstance, good or bad because we know that God is always good; His love endures forever.

As you compete, try avoiding thankfulness when you only experience success and happiness. Instead, allow your thankfulness to be measured by God’s love for you and His goodness in your life in any circumstance.

While your circumstances will continue to change for the rest of your life and competitive career, God’s love for you will never ever end. This alone is something to be thanking God for every minute of the day.