The Thankful Competitor 

READY

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -- Colossians 3:17 NLT

SET

A Christian competitor is a thankful competitor. Every time you step onto the field of competition, your heart is exploding with thankfulness, because you are abundantly grateful for God’s blessings. You have a deep conviction that your gifts, talents and skills to play and to compete come from Him alone. You never take it for granted. Every stride, swing, shot, pass, goal and point is a response to God’s goodness. The way you compete is marked with, Thank you God, because you count all of God’s blessings in your life. You always show gratitude.

You have been given much by the Lord, and you play with that mindset. You are simply grateful for the opportunity to compete. Your sweat is an offering of thanks to Him. There is no room for pride in a heart full of thankfulness. A thankful competitor is a humble competitor.

You don’t try to impress others when you are thankful that God is making an impact through you. You don’t care if you are starting when you are overwhelmed with gratitude at simply having a spot on the team. You don’t put unrealistic expectations on your teammates’ shoulders when you realize God’s grace on your life. You don’t care about the scoreboard when your definition of winning is becoming more like Jesus every time you compete.

You don’t look at your opponent as your enemy when you are thankful that Jesus loved His enemies. You don’t view competition as crushing your opponent when your view of competition is to play in such a way that you elevate all participants’ involvement to a higher level of competition. You are not consumed with what others think of your play, when you are overcome that God is your Audience of One.

You don’t demand attention when your attention is on others. You don’t hide your weaknesses when you know that when you are weak, God is strong. You don’t criticize teammates when you believe the best about them. You don’t look at teammates as worthless when you are thankful that God has wonderfully made them. You don’t have to be #1 when you are already grateful for whatever place you receive. You don’t have to play for others when you already feel God’s pleasure when you compete.

You don’t seek glory and recognition when your goal is to glorify the One who made you. You don’t have to worry about making the team when you know God has selected you as His first pick. You don’t have to impress your coach when you are competing with all your heart as for the Lord. You don’t have to worry about your uniform when you are already wearing the jersey of Jesus Christ.

Be a thankful competitor! With a grateful heart, much can be accomplished. Let the power of thanksgiving change the way you compete. A Christian competitor is a thankful competitor.

GO 

• If you could rate yourself from 1 to 10 (with 10 being best) on how thankful you are, how would you score? If those who love you would rate you, what score would they give you? (Maybe you should ask two or three.) 
• When do you struggle the most to give thanks? When is it easy? 
• As a Christian competitor, what is one thing you can begin to do today to become a thankful competitor? Tell someone and ask him or her to hold you accountable.

WORKOUT

2 Corinthians 9:10-11; 1 Timothy 1:12; Colossians 3:15; 1 Corinthians 15:57

OVERTIME

“Father, I want to be a thankful competitor. Whatever I do or say, I will do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to You, Father. Change me into the athlete or coach you have designed me to be – overflowing with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Dan Britton
Dan serves as FCA's Chief Field Officer and has been on staff since 1990. Dan played professional lacrosse for four years for the Baltimore Thunder. He has co-authored six books, One Word, One Word for Kids, Life Word, Wisdom Walks, True Competitor, and Called to Greatness, and he is the author and editor of twelve FCA books. He still plays and coaches lacrosse and enjoys running marathons. He and his wife Dawn reside in Overland Park, Kansas, and they have three adult children, two sons-in-law, and a daughter-in-law.