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Americans love sports. We all feel an attachment to our favorite teams and athletes. We tend to become so passionate about these games and players that we forget that these athletes are real people and this is their job. Everyone experiences stress in their job, and studies show that athletes experience it at a much higher level. From the start of an athlete's career they are told to “be strong;” to many, this translates to "do it on your own.” Showing any type of weakness is not acceptable, this is a mentality that many athletes carry into all areas of their lives. It’s not okay, to not be okay. Athletes, at all levels, are at an extremely high risk of developing mental health problems. Why does no one want to talk about this? Coaches encourage their players to take care of themselves, to train and to eat well. But what about taking care of themselves when it comes to mental health? The stigma around mental health in athletics needs to be removed. The American Psychiatric Association asks people to acknowledge that sports subject a person to a unique set of challenges and circumstances that can make a person vulnerable to feelings of depression or anxiety. Take college athletes for example. College is already a time of high stress for many. If you can imagine going to college and having a full-time job (playing a sport), that’s enough to stress anyone out. College athletes have to balance a full course load on top of the mounting expectations of coaches, teammates, parents, and themselves. And when it becomes overwhelming, they're told, yet again, to “be strong,” and the stigma against mental health continues. At the college level, athletes are offered team physical trainers and therapists, but what about physiological support? Some schools have this option, but it’s not nearly as prevalent as it should be. Athletes have been groomed to be “okay” their entire lives, simply asking if they're “okay” is not enough. A constant support system is important to have in place. Removing the stigma around mental health and having support available for athletes who are suffering from the stress of their sport is so important. Athletes aren't machines. They may be impressive physical specimens that excel in athletics, but that doesn’t mean it comes without a cost. It’s time to humanize athletes and get them the help they need. New York Giants Wide receiver Brandon Marshall recently delivered a powerful message to NFL coaches and owners at their annual meeting in March. Marshall has been an outspoken supporter of removing the stigma around mental health and therapy in athletics. Marshall shared, “Man, if you would have asked me eight years ago what does mental health mean to me, I would have said mental toughness,” Marshall said. “Another part of my answer would’ve been, ‘masking pain.’ As football players, we are taught to never show weakness, to never give an opponent an edge. To open up when something hurts, in our culture, is deviant. But when you really sit down and think about it, connecting with those emotions is the real strength.” A key point Marshall touched on was “mental toughness.” One of the most common phrases used in athletics is, “it’s all mental.” This phrase is used when a coach wants their athlete to push through a hard workout or to overcome some type of obstacle. So how do you achieve “mental toughness?” For some, that journey may require some help, and that’s okay. In Brandon Marshall’s Op-ed “The Stigma,” he writes more about this “mental toughness” mindset that athletes are instilled with. “When I first heard the term “mental health,” the first thing that came to mind was mental toughness. Masking pain. Hiding it. Keeping it inside. That had been embedded in me since I was a kid. Never show weakness. Suck it up. Play through it. Live through it.” That’s the issue with this mentality, rub some dirt on it, suck it up, and play through it all become LIVE through it. And live through it means on your own, without help, because if you're strong, why would you need it? The best way you can support your favorite athletes is to humanize them. They are not machines, they have emotions, they have stress, they have problems. We need to break the stigma when it comes to mental health in athletics. To perform at their highest level, athletes need to take care of themselves physically and mentally, so let's make it “okay.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11) "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."
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 It's so easy to feel that we are unworthy, that we are not enough, that there is something wrong with us. Thoughts of unworthiness and self-doubt seem to lurk around every corner we turn in life. It seems as though we are always being told were not good enough. By who? The media, our bosses, our peers, but mostly ourselves. You are worth everything and more, and your worth cannot be determined by any one situation or person. If someone were to offer you a $100 bill, you would take it, right? What if that $100 bill was wrinkled and warn, maybe it even had a tear or two, would that deter you from wanting it? No. The inherent worth of that $100 bill does not change because of it's past circumstances or current state, and neither does yours. You are not your mistakes, you are not your shortcomings, you are not your past. You are beautiful, you are important, you are heard, you are WORTHY.
(Proverbs 31:25) "She is clothed with STRENGTH and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future."  Why does timing always seem to be off when it comes to our relationships? How can it be that we find the "love of our life" a month before moving to a new city? And how annoying is it when the "perfect guy" has a long time girlfriend? If only we would have met earlier, or if only he didn't have that girlfriend, things would work out and it would it be PERFECT. Is this what we actually believe? Or is it just something we say to comfort ourselves? What're we doing blaming all of our failed relationships on timing? The simple truth about timing is, it sucks and it's an obstacle, but when it comes down to it, the perfect person will be timeless. As many excuses as we have, we make time for the people we want to, no matter how busy we are. The plans and adventures you had for your life were all amazing before, but with the right person, they become even better. I will never say that there is not a possibility to grow apart and then back together with someone. But I will say we shouldn't sit around waiting for the timing with a specific person to be right. We also shouldn't try to force timing with someone who may not be right for us. If we trust in God and pray for those we have loved and those who we will, I'm going to bet that that is the best way to find our timeless love.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.  We've heard it a million times, confidence is key. But how exactly are we supposed to gain this confidence? For some, it comes easily. For others, it may take some work. Confidence should not be dependent on a situation, nor should we seek it through recognition by others. When it comes down to it, all the confidence we need can be found in the Lord. We were made INTENTIONALLY by the Creator of the universe and given full confidence by Him. We should take comfort and rest in this. His work is nothing but wonderful and His choice to love each individual into existence was no mistake. Our confidence, our drive, our success, it comes from the Lord, and in everything we do we should offer it to Him.
For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139: 13-14)  God's timing is a funny thing. It never seems to line up with ours, and I don't know about you, but that frustrates me. I have all of these great plans and ideas in my head and a timeline in which I want them to happen only to be told "NO"!? It's hard for me to believe that there could be a better situation or timing for me other than the one I have in mind, but the crazy part is, there always is. You would think after being proven wrong on this time after time again, I would have gotten it by now, but each time, like the last, is equally as frustrating. The thing lacking here is patience. I, like many others, like to take things into my own hands, not being in control of something drives me absolutely crazy. "Whatever is supposed to happen will happen," this has to be my least favorite saying of all time. When I've just finished ranting about a situation and that's the best advice someone has to offer me it makes me want to never talk to them again. When in all reality, it's a solid statement and there should be comfort taken in it. We should take comfort in knowing that we don't have to be in control of everything. And a lot of times we can learn and grow more being in the passenger's seat rather than the driver's. God's got you, He knows what you're supposed to end up doing, how you're going to end up there, and even who is going to end up there with you. And as hard as it may be to believe, it is a plan that is far greater and even more rewarding than the one you had so surely chosen for yourself.
(Proverbs 3:5-6) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  Being a collegiate athlete is hard. It's hard at any level, JC, NAIA, D3, D2, D1. Most athletes are working out at 5 am multiple times a week on top of practicing for upwards of three hours a day, 6 days a week. This doesn't include the individual training each athlete does outside of practice, mental and physical. In season, teams play up to 60 games, many of them requiring them to travel. Like I said, being a collegiate athlete is hard, but it's not impossible. The hard part is doing it well. I'm not here to talk about athletic performance, I'm here to talk about what seems to be deemed less important by many involved in college athletics, academics. For some reason, many athletes, coaches, and even universities don't put education first. It's about your performance on the field, not in the classroom, all that matters is that you're eligible. It doesn't matter if you're on track to graduate, or if you're thriving or passionate about your major. But when it comes down to it, it's up to the athlete to decide what they want to get out of their college education. Roughly 2% of college athletes are able to play professionally after college. The other 98% have to learn how to be a part of the "real world", and that might be hard. Athletes spend their whole lives training for their sport, how are they supposed to just be thrown into the "real world?" There are many great lessons you can learn from sports that can apply to life outside of athletics, the trick is to actually apply them. Taking advantage of early registration, the times you're in class, and the opportunities you are given through your university is so important as a student-athlete. I can promise that any athlete that puts half as much passion and effort into their career, as they did their sport, will find success in any field they pursue.
(Colossians 3:17) "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  I think a lot of the time we don't realize the impact of our words and actions. It may not occur to us in the moment that what we say or do may hurt someone. It may also not occur to us that our words and actions can do the opposite, uplift others. It is so important to be intentional with all that we do. I pray that no one will ever have to go through tragedy to be reminded that we don't have forever with the people who we love, or with anybody for that matter. Whether it is your mother or just someone sitting next to you on the bus, that person could find great comfort in how you choose to interact with them. We should really try not to hold any hate in our hearts for anyone, no matter the circumstance. Make it a mission to have every person that you come into contact with feel that you care about them, and be genuine and persistent about it. Doing nothing could be just as damaging to others as acting in a way that hurts them. BE INTENTIONAL, create and nurture relationships, and never fail to show others that they are loved.
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." ~ 1 John 4:7-8  Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of information in order to understand what we are presented. Our perception is largely based on the personal truths we hold close to us. Whatever we see as our truth will be reflected in the way we interpret things each day. The way we interpret and perceive things can become even more important to us than our original truth. We can try our hardest to stay impartial to people and situations but it is impossible, we are bias beings. In The Artisan Soul, Author Erwin Raphael McManus says, "We don't see people for who they are; we see them through the filter of everyone we've ever known. We don't see circumstances as they are; we see them through the filter of everything we've ever experienced." There's nothing wrong with this, it's impossible to avoid. The best way we can make up for our partialness is to make sure that the truth that we carry is correct. And that truth has to be Jesus Christ. Carrying this truth is the best way to insure that our perception is one that incorporates love and compassion.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”  It can be so easy to look for worth in performance, especially when it comes to baseball. Monetarily, athletes are judged based on their performance but they are worth so much more than that. Baseball careers end everyday, and it’s important for athletes to have something bigger than baseball to carry them through life. Los Angeles Angels 1st baseman, Albert Pujols says it perfectly, “My life’s goal is to bring glory to Jesus. My life is not mostly dedicated to the Lord, it is 100% committed to Jesus Christ and His will. God has given me the ability to succeed in the game of baseball. But baseball is not the end; baseball is the means by which my wife, Dee Dee, and I glorify God.” While Albert Pujols nears the end of what is arguably one of the best careers in baseball, he has collected 2 world series championships, 3 national league MVP awards, 10 all-star awards, a membership in the 600 home run club, and much more, he will also be remembered for the many Christ-like characteristics he has shown throughout his career. Albert Pujols is one great example of an athlete using their platform to inspire others through, not only performance but actions, creating opportunities for fans to be exposed to Christ. At the end of the day, baseball alone will not be enough to satisfy and carry someone through life. Worth cannot be put upon someone in a game of failure. Much more is needed to sustain an athlete during and after a career, and that is God. Baseball is a platform by which athletes can spread the Gospel and grow in community and faith.
(Proverbs 3:6) In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.  What do we look for in a partner? Maybe we look for someone we find physically attractive, smart, athletic, maybe someone with similar interests or hobbies, etc. But how heavily do we take someone's faith into account? It should be the first thing we look for, but it seems to get lost with all of the other traits we have on our lists. As much as we can try to push faith aside, and pretend like it isn't a huge factor when it comes to our relationships, it won't work. It's simple, how can you expect someone who doesn't know or understand the unconditional love of Christ (a love with no limit) to love fully? It just wont work. Christ's love is a perfect love, one that can't be duplicated, but the more we come to learn and understand it, the greater our capacity becomes to love others. So when looking for a partner, what we should really be looking for is someone who we know will help us learn more about Christ's perfect love, someone who will take the time to study and understand it with us. By doing this the love that you have for each other will be unlike any other you have experienced. Because by seeing the selfless, limitless, perfect love of Christ, we can begin to model how we love others in the same way.
(2 Corinthians 6:14) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? |
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