How Do You Handle the Pressure to Keep Up?

The bright lights, the roar of the crowd, the thrill of competing on the highest stage with the greatest stakes. Every athlete’s dream, right?

Well, maybe not. Because what if you weren’t made for pressure?

It’s true that few things feel better than balling out on the big stage, but what about the time spent outside the game? Practice, at home, at school, out with friends? If we are facing pressure in all those situations, we are headed down a path of failure. We. Will. Crack. It’s only a matter of time.

The truth of Jesus is found in the Bible and by living the way we see Him living. Jesus may never have owned a cellphone, but Jesus certainly faced pressure and showed us how we can walk through it.

Get Quiet

Find time to step away from the noise that surrounds you every day. Maybe this looks like getting up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. Or maybe you stay late after practice and just sit on the field. The act of stepping back and quieting our minds for a minute allows space for God to speak into our lives.

Put down the phone. Take off the headphones. Set aside your gear and just spend time away from the noise and the pressures around you. This won’t solve your problems, but it might just give you a better perspective on how to handle them when you return.

Talk with God

We usually fill our boredom with games, phones or entertainment. What if instead, we satisfied our boredom by speaking with Jesus? Jesus is a real and relational being who died and rose again so He could be in community with you. He deeply cares about the things in your life and the pressures you are facing, and He wants to be part of them.

Lean on Others

You can’t spend all your time alone. You need to spend time around people who also are pursuing Jesus. Time in silence is important, and we see Jesus often pull away from the crowds to spend time with God. But He equally spent time with his closest friends over meals, walking between towns and just doing life together.

As believers, we need to have a community around us that we love and that loves us. How different would your life look if your teammates were constantly encouraging each other instead of talking down to one another? Surround yourself with believers who are running after Jesus. This will help you stand tall when the pressures of this world close in around you.