There once was a young boy who was on a college campus. As he walked through the athletic facilities, he came across the wrestling room. He peered through the door and saw a room full of sweaty wrestlers in combat. "Wow," the boy thought, "This looks like fun."

The boy took a seat along the wall of the wrestling room near the drinking fountain. A wrestler came up to the drinking fountain for a break, and the boy asked him, "Whatcha doing?"

A short time later another wrestler walked up for a drink of water, and the boy asked the second wrestler, "Whatcha doing?"

The second wrestler responded, "Getting tired, too much drilling!"

The wrestler stood up, wiped the water from his face, threw out his chest and said, "I am preparing to win the national championship."

Athletic Principle

Which wrestler would you want as your teammate? Which wrestler best describes you? The difference is attitude. Attitude is, essentially, the way you view your situation and circumstances. Too often our focus is drawn inward - our focus is on ourselves. We tend as athletes to operate in an area of selfishness, in a "I, me, my, mine" mode. This type of selfishness does not only affect performance, but it affects the people around us, as well as their view of us.

When we hurt physically, when we are tired and sore, when our muscles ache, and when our lungs are blasted with pain we think of our own personal situation. We focus on the pain, the torment, rather than the goal we are striving to achieve. Our vision is limited to the moment as we trudge through a practice like a plow horse with blinders on.

What we need to focus in on is three key principles: Thankfulness, Opportunity, and Obligation.

God's Performance Principle

Thankfulness

Have you ever considered how fortunate you really are? Look closely at your talents. Every athlete is different; each athlete was created with different skills, abilities and talents. Some athletes have been blessed with speed, quickness, agility, mental toughness, size, strength, power, vision, flexibility, a strategic or tactical mind, others with a great work-ethic, some have what we describe as "heart." Don't compare yourself to others, for each of you is uniquely created. Consider this:

Have you considered the true opportunities before you as an athlete? Again consider your good fortune. You have been blessed not only physically to be a competitive athlete, but you have the opportunity to compete - regardless of your rank, position or level or competition. Not everyone has that chance. You have an opportunity to use the gifts and talents God has given you in order to glorify Him! Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympic Gold medallist in the 100 yard dash was told by his father, "You can glorify God by pealing a potato, if you peal it to perfection."

Now we may never reach perfection as an athlete, but we can strive for it. What we can do is use our talents as a love offering to God.

"As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me." (John 9:4)

What are your obligations as an athlete? Some might answer to train, to lift weights, to develop the cardiovascular system, to eat proper foods, to learn and develop new skills, to do my best and to listen to my coaches. All of these are true. But do we really do them? Do you?

Jesus in Matthew chapter 25:14-30 taught to His followers the Parable of the Talents. This story really applies to those of us who are athletes. What God has entrusted us with, He expects us to use and to develop, or it will be taken away from us. It is simply the Law of Use. Whatever we have, if we use and develop it we will recieve more. Read closely Jesus' words:

There is also one more point that we need to consider in the area of Obligation. God also addresses this in His word.

If we understand just how much God loves us, and if we respond back to Him in love, then we never have to worry about our attitude, for we will always be in a attitude of thanksgiving towards Him!