Glory of Savior > Self

Imagine scrolling on Instagram and seeing a post from a two-time Olympian, Olympic Champion, and World Record Holder who is crouched on the track with a look of amazement on her face. We would assume right beneath would be a caption that read, “I did it,” or “I can’t believe that just happened.”

However, that is not what it says. Instead, the caption reads, “The face of a woman who is in awe of God… Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you, Father.” Sydney McLaughlin glorifies God over herself.

One of the most challenging things Christian athletes struggle with is pride. In sports, we are surrounded by fans cheering us on. Our names appear on banners, posters, school trophy cases, and sometimes social media posts. Our names are on the roster, the stats, our lockers, and heard over the PA system. People talk about how we played, the moves we made, and the accomplishments and accolades we received. If we aren’t careful, pride can easily trick us into thinking we did everything ourselves. We will begin glorifying ourselves and taking credit. When we do this, we take the crown off God and put it on our own head.

Scripture teaches us that God created us and gave us our talents. We are good at sports because God created us that way. Therefore, when good things happen on the field, track, or court, we have no right to take credit. When we humble ourselves, our pride gets crushed. We combat pride by remembering that we are nothing without God.

When the time comes, let’s be the megaphone people hear, and the billboard people see that is shouting God’s glory loudly.

Give God back His crown.