Sports can take us to the highest of highs. Your team comes back against all odds and wins the championship. The crowd roars. You’ve never felt more alive. But sports can also take us to the lowest of lows. You get injured in front of everyone, and it hurts. It costs your team the win they need to advance. You’re out for the season and have to watch everyone carry on without you.

You’re not the only one who’s experienced the best and worst of your sport. When Amir went through a serious soccer injury, he looked to what Paul wrote in Philippians. He found out that this apostle knew what it was like to suffer, too.

I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. Christ gives me the strength to face anything.
Philippians 4:12–13 (CEV)

The Teammates

Amir
Sport: Soccer

Sometimes, the worst happens. I really struggled with the first serious injury I got in the middle of a match. Like Paul, I felt like I knew just how bad life can get. When you’re injured, there’s nothing you can do about it—you’re helpless. But that’s right where Jesus meets us. I don’t know if I would have seen it that way without my brother and parents to remind me that God had me in his hands. I didn’t face the challenge alone—God gave me people and an impossible amount of strength. Philippians 4:13 taught me that God is the strong one and he’s in control of everything. I can trust him to take care of me.

Paul, the Apostle

Writing most of the New Testament wasn’t easy. After Paul became a Christian, he was chased out of towns, put in prison, and survived being stoned, shipwrecked, and beaten multiple times. If anyone knew what it was like to experience hard times, it was Paul. But he kept going, because he believed Jesus coming into the world to save people was the best news. It had to be shared at all costs. He never let his injuries prevent him from doing what God called him to do. And when he had every right to give up, he kept on loving God and loving people. Imagine what that mindset could look like if you took it with you to a game.

The Connection

It can be easy to get mad at God or at others when hard things happen. But just because God allows us to go through hard things doesn’t mean he has stopped loving us. God wants us to know him and make him known to others—sometimes, he wants us to do that through something hard.

We can face anything because God is right there with us. Like Amir, we can find strength in our relationship with Jesus when these things happen. And like Paul, we can keep sharing about how much Jesus loves us in both the highs and the lows.

For the Players

Reflect: When was a time when Jesus gave you strength to face your situation?

Share: Who can you thank for being there for you during an injury or hard time? Find a way to tell them thank you today!

Take a moment to pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your faithfulness,
For your loving presence
That follows me wherever I go. (Psalm 139:1–3)
I confess my need for you today,
Knowing that with or without injury,
It is only by your power
That I can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
When I am feeling weak,
I ask that you be my strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)
With the help of the Holy Spirit,
In both the highs and the lows,
I will rejoice in you always;
I will give thanks to you in every situation. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

Amen.

Press in! Take a moment to read: 2 Corinthians 12:8–10

For Coaches and Parents

Read aloud with your team or athlete!

When life got hard, Amir’s parents and brother reminded him of what is true: God is near, God is strong, and God is in control. Sometimes our injuries and difficult experiences can block our memories from the truth.

A question for the team/athlete:

Who or what helps you remember the truth of who God is in hard times?

(Allow a few responses from the team/athlete, then read the follow-up message.)

Follow-up:

As a team, you can remind each other that God cares for you and gives you strength. Paul writes these verses to a group of young Christians in the city Philippi (that’s where the book Philippians gets its name). He tells them about his struggles and encourages them that God is with his people in the highs and the lows. We can follow his example and build each other up!