Spiritual Formation | 5/1/2026 2:25:00 PM

Written by: Sydney Shelton
 
"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall."
-Proverbs 16:18, NLT
 
The world tells us to be more focused, more driven, and more obsessed.
 
Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and live righteously, and everything else will be added unto us.
 
Obsessing about work, school, and sports may have gotten you somewhere.  But you spend the majority of your time worn-out and stressed.  Your performance may have stalled or even declined.  No matter how hard you try, you simply cannot measure up to who you 'should' be.  You love the Lord, but you don't know how faith practically intertwines with your dreams of winning and becoming an elite athlete.
 
But let me remind you: God's way works – in all areas of our lives.
 
He has given you gifts to steward.  I know you have trained many years, but you would not be the player you are today if God did not give you certain physical capabilities – your height, strength, speed, skill, and coordination.
 
He cares about the details of our lives, and we should steward everything He has given us – especially our athletic careers.  Because one day we will be held accountable for the things we've been given to steward! (Matthew 25:14-30)
 
But we cannot steward well what we idolize.
 
When I began idolizing basketball, I fell into perfectionism. Maybe you can relate.  Perfectionism is rooted in pride and results in a fixed mindset.  A fixed mindset views criticism as an attack on our identity.
 
The profile of a perfectionist is as follows: overly high expectations, easily frustrated with mistakes, fear of failure, self-critical of one's performance, resistant to criticism, and worried about what others think of his or her performance.  Perfectionists struggle admitting when they are wrong because they always want to be right.  For a perfectionist, everything has to feel good, look good, and be good.  If not, it is failure.  You can see how this is problematic on the basketball court – or really in any arena of life.
 
Pride and perfectionism will always lead to anxiety because the more I am at the center, the more anxious I will be.  The more I fight to control what I cannot, the more anxious I will be.  The more I try to cover up my faults instead of owning where I have messed up, the more anxious I will be.
 
On the other hand, humility leads to a growth mindset and coachability.  Humility does not assume the worst; instead, it receives feedback with the intent to apply it.  Humility accepts criticism without taking it personally and views it as an opportunity to be better and grow.  Humility is not defeated nor discouraged because it believes change is always possible.  Where we are now is not where we will stay if we adopt a growth mindset. On the court and in life, pride leads to anxiety and then a fall, but humility lays the foundation for joy and, ultimately, success.
 
Four truths when we are feeling anxious:
 
I will not always be liked

• but I am loved by God, and He loves me more than anyone else does
• I will answer to God one day, so His opinion matters most

 
I will not always be everyone's first pick

• but God chooses me
• there are people who choose me, too, and I don't have to convince anyone else to choose me
• the course of my life is not determined by the people who do or don't choose me because God leads me, protects me, and orchestrates my life as I follow Him

 
I will never be beyond correction

• but I can learn to love correction because I love to grow
• I will never live a successful life if I don't welcome correction and criticism
• I will never grow if I'm not honest with myself and take accountability for my mistakes

 
I cannot control everything

• but God is in control, and He works everything for my good and His glory
• I am not great enough to mess up His plans
• I am not great enough for everyone and everything to depend on me

 
Questions to consider:
 
Do I struggle inviting God into my sport?  Why?
 
What outcomes am I trying to control?
 
Where am I not being honest with myself / where can I take accountability?
 
How can I reshape the way I view failure and feedback?
 
Which of the truths (listed above) do I need to write down and remember?