Seven Fears Athletes Face; Seven Truths God Gives Sample

Fear of Injury or Re-Injury 

Ready: “He heals the brokenhearted

and bandages their wounds.” - Psalm 147:3 (NLT)

Set: Setback and injury do a number on our psyche. If it’s been a painful blow, we wonder if we’ll ever get back on the court or field. We watch from the sidelines as our teammates run around and practice, we cheer them on from the bench during games, all the while going through the weeks and months of rehab in hopes to get back out there. And when we finally have clearance, we tend to play more gingerly, afraid of re-injuring what we spent so much time and energy on to heal.

If we’re healthy, we are afraid to run the risk of enduring an injury and halting our prospects and ending our athletic career. So, we protect ourselves. We try every way imaginable to play safe and avoid getting hurt. We can get so wrapped up in injury prevention that we miss living in the moment and giving our all.

Here’s the truth: God gives us the healing we really need.

Yes, He watches over our bodies, and sometimes we must come back from a twisted ankle or snapped ACL. But ultimately, He is after our heart, wanting to cut beneath the physical pain to reach what’s emotionally and spiritually strangling us. He cares about us too much to leave us in our pain, so if something is going on that forces us into rest and healing, we can be assured He is also doing deep work to form us into the image of His Son.

It’s often in the interrupted time of our lives where we finally allow God space to heal.

Go:

1. Have you been playing cautious for fear of getting hurt?

2. How can you trust God with this fear of injury?

3. What steps will you take to put this trust into action?

Workout: 

Isaiah 53:5

Hebrews 4:16

1 Peter 2:24

Overtime: “The fear of injury or reinjury can really consume us. Admittingly, I’m sometimes afraid of giving my all because I don’t want to get sidelined. You say You work all things for my good, and that You are the Great Healer. Help me to put my trust in You that You are watching over my mind, body, and soul. Amen.”