Having The Mind of Christ in Sport and in Relationship with God
Being on a swim team is very much like the Christian life: it is an individual team sport. I came to this realization while thinking of how to translate the way Jesus walked in the world and through adversity to come out victorious and glorified. Then it dawned on me; we stand before God as individuals, but we are also responsible to walk in community and spur each other on to greatness in Christ Jesus. It’s the individual training, the alone work, that gets us in shape to swim on the relay, or to serve others working as a team to bring victory and glory to the Name of Christ. How did He do it? How did Christ have the mental toughness to endure all that came against him in the three and a half short years he was in ministry? How did he have the capacity to serve other people and walk in community with them? How did he deal with disappointment or exhaustion? Over the course of swim season, we will explore what Jesus did to strengthen his mind, and how that mental toughness translates to our sport, our lives, and the lives of those we touch. To be like Christ is a mighty call, but it is one we do not shrink from, because he gives us his Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. We don’t expect perfection in this life, but we do expect to grow in holiness. We can do it, because the Bible is a book of examples not exceptions. Just as Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man, so shall we.
As we venture into the mind of Christ, we find several characteristics that can help us in our own quest for mental toughness. Jesus had the following characteristics that led to his ultimate victory:
Understanding of God’s plan (Week 1-2)
Motivation-Desire to honor God, his father (Week 3)
Will to win/Determination to defeat the opposition (Week 4)
Mind over body (Week 5)
Belief in victory (Week 6)
Love for his disciples and Understanding of the need for allies (Week 7)
Desire to serve community (greater good) (Week 8)
Understanding the battle of good vs evil (Week 9)
Understanding of the need for retreat/renewal with God (Week 10)