“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
The Lord is near
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5b-7Being a full-time athlete is an amazing privilege. You earn your living doing something you love. You get to use your God-given talent. You travel the world and see…. well, hotel rooms and practice tracks.
But certain things come with the territory – like anxiety. Some athletes get very nervous before competition. No one has a perfect body. There are the niggles in the ankle, knee etc – will it get worse? Then there is the coach… Issues of team selection. Why does my agent not get me in the right races? Why did my agent ever agree to so many press and PR appearances before the competition?
Some psychologists will tell us the answer to anxious is self-mastery of our emotions. Paul says the answer is to remember that the Lord is near. You know the old cliché – why pray when you can worry. Paul says by prayer and thanksgiving and by acknowledging the presence of Christ, we need not be anxious about anything. And it not just an absence of anxiety. It is peace which God promises. What a lovely picture – God’s peace set as a guard outside your heart and mind to stop any anxiety getting in!
Now what was it I was anxious about?