LESSON 5: ATTITUDE, PART I

Ready

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Set

Attitude has two main components that are controllable: how we carry ourselves and how we treat others. In this study, we’ll focus on the first. In the next study, we’ll focus on the second.

It’s intriguing to watch athletes struggle. You’ve seen it in teammates, opponents, or yourself.

A player struggles on the field at some point. A pitcher walks a few hitters and gets hit hard one inning. A quarterback throws an interception. A basketball player can’t get a shot to fall.

The failure of an athlete is not the intriguing part; this naturally happens with every athlete at some point. The intriguing part is the body language of the player when it does.

We see it all the time, at every level. Frustration. Slumped shoulders. Lashing out at coaches or teammates. How we handle adversity says a lot about us. Show me an athlete who can’t handle adversity well and I’ll show you an athlete who will fall apart under pressure—definitely in sports, and maybe in life, as well.

Conversely, show me an athlete who pushes through struggles and I’ll show you a battle-tested player well prepared for adversity in sports and life.

The ability to handle adversity is a critical component to success in sports and life. If our strength comes from Christ, “we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). In other words, we’re prepared for anything and can face adversity.

In fact, adversity makes us come out stronger. The analogy of a diamond helps. Diamonds are most typically formed by two natural conditions: enormous pressure and extreme heat. It is the extreme heat of volcanoes and pressure from tectonic shifts that create perfect conditions for a diamond to form.

You get the point, don’t you? The beauty of a diamond only comes about from enormous pressure and extreme heat. The same is true for us. We only become battle-tested players from feeling the pressure and heat of adversity and, at times, struggles.

Fortunately, Christ gives us strength during times of struggle. Jesus promises us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We need only trust and turn to him during times of struggles, knowing he is with us and ultimately making us stronger and better.

Go

1. How do you tend to respond when things don’t go your way on the field? Frustration? Anger? Deep breath and calm? Bear down and try harder?

2. Are struggles and adversity controllable? If not, what specifically about struggles and adversity is controllable?

3. How does viewing struggles and adversity necessary for growth as a player and person help us deal with struggles and adversity when we face them?