Do you remember the first time you scored in sports? Maybe it was a touchdown, a basket, a kill, a home run or a match point. For a lot of us, once it happened, we could hardly resist telling everyone about it.

As we get older, the stakes seem to get higher—the significance greater. Game-winning goals, last-second stops on the goal-line, blocked shots, fourth-quarter buzzer-beaters, walk-off home runs…We’re not playing t-ball anymore. The plays we make as we age can win or lose games and even championships. And if we’re involved in successfully making those plays, it’s often hard to contain our pride. We want to ask people, “Did you hear about what I did?” or, “Did you see my [fill in the blank] play?” It’s so easy to bask in the glory of our own self-righteousness.

Playing the final round of The Masters yesterday was very fitting for golfer Bubba Watson. For him it was an opportunity to win The Masters for the second time in two years, while playing for his Master, Jesus Christ. Watson defeated Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt to win his second major championship. After his first win in 2012, he thanked his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and admitted he didn’t know what to say because as he put it, “I never got this far in my dreams.”

The joy of the Lord is our strength. How many times have we heard that? I feel like I say it but don’t always put my full effort into believing it.

In this passage, Nehemiah is talking to the people about the law of God. The people are weeping because they know they have disappointed God, but I believe this response from Nehemiah shows God’s heart: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Have you ever disagreed with your coach’s game strategy or played with a teammate with whom you didn’t see eye to eye? Have you ever competed against an opponent who made you really angry? As athletes, we come into contact with a lot of people: coaches, teammates, opponents, referees, and fans; and we’re not always going to agree with them.

Like most high school coaches, I had a goal to help an athlete win a state championship some day. As a former 800-meter runner myself, I wanted to help an athlete win that exact event. In my first season as a high school distance coach, I stood at the state meet as God taught me a valuable lesson. One of my runners was in the finals of the 800-meter race.

As an amateur cyclist (very amateur), I just love the Tour de France. For 21 Stages in just 23 days, 180 of the most highly conditioned athletes ride 2,200 miles through some of the most beautiful countryside and grueling mountains in the world. It’s considered the “Super Bowl” of cycling, and it’s arguably one of the most physically, mentally and spiritually demanding events in all of sports. The riders average over 100 miles each day and burn over 130,000 calories! And while most of us would find it hard to drive a car thru the Alps, just imagine trying to do it on a bike.

“No way. Are you kidding me? What??” Those were my responses when someone told me news I never thought I would hear.

It had been right after I’d finished up speaking at a college FCA Huddle several years ago. One athlete, who I thought would never enter an FCA meeting, showed up to the Huddle. This player had been antagonistic to the things of Christ and was as mean-spirited as anyone I’d ever met. If there was a fight in practice, he was in the middle of it. If there was foul language being shouted out on the football field, it usually came from him. In my estimation, this kid was as far from becoming a Christian as LeBron James was from winning Wimbledon. In my mind, it was just not going to happen.

Several years ago, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University smacked her first home run in her college career with two runners on base in a playoff game against Central Washington University. While rounding the bases, she missed first base. As she started back to tag it, she collapsed with a knee injury. All she could do was crawl back to first, and if her teammates helped her, she would be called out.

Central Washington first baseman Mallory Holtman reportedly asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky. The umpire said yes, so Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace put their arms under Tucholsky’s legs, and Tucholsky put her arms over their shoulders. The three rounded the bases, stopping only to let Tucholsky touch each bag with her uninjured leg.

I did it again. I can’t believe I haven’t learned yet. I should know better, but it’s so hard not to do it. Everyone does it. I guess it’s considered just part of life, but I refuse to cave in and be like everyone else.

In our culture, patience is becoming less and less common. We’re an instant gratification society, so when things don’t go according to our timetable or plans, we get frustrated and sometimes angry. How many times have coaches lost their tempers when athletes failed to make the right plays or the right decisions?