Many of us struggle with the constant pressure to be perfect within athletics. We get caught up seeking unreliable affirmation through our performance, so when things don't go our way many times we feel discouraged.

Tryouts are a great example. We work day in and day out to prove we ARE worthy of a spot. Summers we run sprints in the heat, nights we lift in the weight room and it feels like every second is spent honing our skills.

All that work leads to the moment tryouts finish and we run to the gym door to see if our name is one of the few listed on the final roster. Usually making the cut is a long process that requires hard work, focus and countless hours of training. To win a spot on the roster YOU have to earn it.

But, the challenges don't just stop after making the team. That's just the beginning. Next, we must constantly work to improve in order to get a chance at starting. The demands are never ending. If success within athletics was all we had to hope for in life then an injury could be devastating and each day overwhelming.

Fortunately for those of us that are Christ followers, we don't have to constantly worry about being good enough. On God's team the tryout's already been conducted and only one person was worthy of eternal life in Heaven: Jesus Christ. Jesus performed flawlessly with a life of service and love. He then chose to give up HIS roster spot, so that we could be apart of the team too.

So even though the challenges within our sport aren't ending anytime soon, we can be encouraged in the fact that despite our performance God loves us continually--and our spot on His team is secure.