How Do You Handle the Pressure to Keep Up?

The bright lights, the roar of the crowd, the thrill of competing on the highest stage with the greatest stakes. Every athlete’s dream, right?

Well, maybe not. Because what if you weren’t made for pressure?

It’s true that few things feel better than balling out on the big stage, but what about the time spent outside the game? Practice, at home, at school, out with friends? If we are facing pressure in all those situations, we are headed down a path of failure. We. Will. Crack. It’s only a matter of time.

Thankfully, Jesus has a greater potential for us than simply living in the pressures of life.

“’You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” –John 8:32

The truth of Jesus is found in His Word, the Bible, and by living the way we see Him living. But Jesus never played sports. He never dealt with the modern problems we deal with. You’ve heard that before, right? Jesus may never have owned a cellphone, but Jesus certainly faced pressure and showed us how we can walk through it.

Get Quiet

Find time to step away from the noise that surrounds you every day. Maybe this looks like getting up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. Or maybe you stay late after practice and just sit on the field. The act of stepping back and quieting our minds for a minute allows space for God to speak into our lives. If we’re honest, we want this neon sign telling us what to do and how to handle situations, but more often than not, God speaks in whispers rather than shouts.

“Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” –John 6:15

Put the phone down. Take the headphones off. Set your gear aside and just spend time away from the noise and the pressures around you. This won’t solve your problems, but it might just give you a better perspective for how to handle them when you return.

Talk with God

As you spend more and more time alone, you might find that, surprisingly, it’s boring. That’s not a bad thing! We usually fill our boredom with games, phones or entertainment. What if instead we satisfied our boredom by speaking with Jesus? Jesus is a real and relational being who died and rose again so He could be in community with you. He deeply cares about the things in your life and the pressures you are facing, and He wants to be part of them. 

“’I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.’” –John 17:23

God deeply loves you. Spend time thinking about that as you take time alone. Consider what He has done for you and then just talk to Jesus. Tell Him what's on your mind. 

Lean on Others

You can’t spend all your time alone. You need to spend time around people who are also pursuing Jesus. Time in silence is important, and we see Jesus often pull away from the crowds to spend time with God. But He equally spent time with his closest friends over meals, walking between towns and just doing life together. 

“Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” –John 13:1

Jesus spent time with His disciples because He loved them and they, in turn, loved Jesus. As believers, we need to have a community around us that we love and that loves us. How different would your life look if your teammates were constantly encouraging each other instead of talking down to one another? Surround yourself with believers who are running after Jesus. This will help you stand tall when the pressures of this world close in around you.

The truth of Jesus is found in the Bible. He died and rose again to offer us eternal life with God. That life starts now. The pressure of this world can be heavy. Jesus offers a better way. He is the truth; all we have to do is follow Him.

LIVE IT OUT

Theme Verse: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13

Quarter Verse: “Stop fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” – Psalm 46:10

Question: What is distracting you the most right now? What can you do to replace the distraction with Jesus instead?

Challenge: If you don’t have a group of people to connect with, take a step to find them: call a local church about small groups or see if there’s an FCA Huddle near you. 

CTA: It can all be too much–the demands of coaches, programs, parents and schoolwork. But whose approval truly matters? Visit The FOUR and find out just how much you mean to God: The FOUR