“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:13-14
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
One of my favorite aspects of playing tennis is that it’s a mental battle as much as it is a physical challenge.
Technique, strategy, conditioning and raw skill all matter a ton. But once the match begins, it’s often won or lost between the ears — especially at the amateur level. Even for professionals, mistakes are unavoidable, but at the recreation level, the majority of points are won and lost because one player misses a shot.
What often separates players is the ability to accept that and move on. In my years of playing and coaching, I’ve seen players who did this really well and others who allowed their mistakes to compound and completely derail their entire match. Even if you lose a point or two, you are not that far from being back in a game to win it. You have to be ready to reset mentally and play the next point.
If you carry that mistake to the next point, the match can slip away from you quickly as you start to overthink or overcorrect for something that happened several points or games ago. The refusal to let go of or learn from your mistakes can ultimately be your downfall.
The Christian walk can feel similar at times. We replay the conversation we wish we could take back or the sin struggle we thought we would’ve beaten by now. We fixate on the opportunity we missed, the season of life we think we mishandled, or the rejection we still carry.
As fallible humans, we fixate on our mistakes and think God does the same. But that’s not the truth we see in Scripture. Philippians 3:13-14 says this: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
In another example, after denying Jesus three times, Peter had every reason to believe his failure defined him. Yet Jesus met him with restoration rather than condemnation. On the shore of Galilee, Jesus didn’t force Peter to live forever in the shadow of his worst moment. Instead, He recommissioned him.
Grace doesn’t ignore our failures, but it does refuse to let them have the final word. In other words, the last point is over. We can play the next one.
— Cole Claybourn
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him <<
>> Dive more into God’s Word with Sports Spectrum through the YouVersion Bible App <<
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com
