close
One of my favorite bible verses has come from Phillipians 4:6-7. It says this…..”Do not be anxious about anything. Through prayer and supplications, make your requests known before God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” To me this has always meant that the most important thing we can do with our worries and troubles is to pray about them. If we do, God can give us a peace about them that is so great that we don’t really have the ability to understand it. A greater peace that the human mind can imagine.
We can relate the same thing to football. It is common for football players to be nervous before a game, particularly a big game. But too much worry and fear of losing makes it difficult to turn loose and play your best. Most great football players feel a little nervousness, but feel more confidence than they do anything else.. That confidence gives the player a peace about his performance that is a little hard to understand. That peace really comes from preparation. A football player needs to be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for the game. Physical means that he has done the work on the practice field with great intensity and concentration. He has worked on fundamentals and has shown he can execute his assignments. Mentally means that he knows and understands the game plan; he has watched the film and can recognize the plays and formations or the defense or coverage. They know how to get open, who to block and how to run the stunt. That mental preparation allows a player to play at a higher level; he responds to the other team during the game without worry about making a mistake. The third aspect is the emotional preparation. Players that get themselves emotionally ready understand how important their thoughts are during the game. They prepare for the toughness of the game; they get their mind ready to play for 48 minutes as hard as possible. The recognize just how difficult the opponent could be and prepare themselves to accept the challenge in front of them. They love the challenge of a tough opponent and accept that challenge willingly. Physical, mental and emotional. The player that can bring all three of them together can achieve great things. So preparation is what resolves your worry and turns it into achievement. Why worry? Have you prepared? If so you can achieve a peace before battle that will allow you to play your greatest game each week.
Preparation is the key to everything, whether it is a math test, a dinner party or a vacation. So achieve a greater sense of peace in your life with the confidence that comes from preparation. And a little prayer might help out too.
