Prayer in sports: What’s it all about?
This past year was the most difficult I’ve ever experienced.
Junior year in high school is known for being exhausting, and that was definitely the case for me. But one thing that’s always lifted me out of a challenging time has been soccer. After a very rough season of cross country in the fall, I was eager to start the spring soccer season.
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Since I hadn’t been playing year-round club soccer as I had in the past, I expected to be a little rusty. At first, when I made varsity again, it seemed like no time had passed. But after the first few weeks, my confidence quickly plummeted.
Soccer was the one thing that had always made me happy, and the thought of it being taken away crushed me.
My coaches were constantly yelling at me, and I came back from games upset that my performance wasn’t good enough. I worried that because I had sacrificed club soccer for my six Advanced Placement classes, I wasn’t good enough anymore, and my starting spot on the field would be taken by someone else.
This may seem like a small thing, but it chipped away at my confidence. At that point, soccer was the one thing that had always made me happy, and the thought of it being taken away crushed me. I’ve learned in Christian Science Sunday School that God created us and that we express Him in everything we do. So I kept telling myself that my God-given ability could not be lost or interfered with. But I was still worried.
I also knew that I could not be penalized for leaving club soccer—a decision my family and I had prayed about and felt right about. I knew I couldn’t regress, because God does not regress, and as His image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27), I can only keep moving forward and getting better.
While I knew these thoughts I was praying with were true, I wasn’t showing any progress on the soccer field. My fears kept overriding the good thoughts.
One day, my team and I were excited to play one of our biggest rivals, whom we had lost to the year before. Before every game, I find a quiet place and reread some articles from the Christian Science magazines that I have found helpful. I knew that I could apply the spiritual truths in these articles to my soccer performance, and they always reassured me that God was right by my side.
That day, as I opened a book containing a selection of these articles to a random page, I wanted to understand how the thoughts shared there could help me succeed on the field, or at least help me understand why I wasn’t succeeding. This statement explaining my relation to divine Love and Principle—God—stood out to me: “As the reflection of divine Love, [the real man] is eternally calm and fearless. And being the idea of immutable Principle, he is orderly and accurate, ever expressing its perfect control” (Milton Simon, “Right assimilation,” Sentinel, June 18, 1960).
I have always wanted to have one of those moments where I feel so close to God that all my problems and worries fade away, and I experienced it that very moment. I understood that I have dominion on the field, since my abilities are not self-made but gifted by God. This thought was powerful to me because I wasn’t just reading the words and trying to make them apply to me. I felt that God was speaking directly to me. I felt so peaceful, calm, and loved. Although I felt I had never heard God’s voice before, I knew He was speaking to me through those words on that page. I felt His presence with me more strongly than ever. I wasn’t trying to pray in order to play well during my game, either. I was praying to feel closer to God.
Usually, when I’d prayed before games, it was because I thought it would help me play better. But based on what I was experiencing in this moment, I realized that prayer was about so much more. I felt so confident that God was there and that all space was filled by Love.
Before I knew it, I was on the field ready to play. And I now played with more freedom, because feeling close to God means feeling more confident in my ability to express God’s qualities, which are all good and include power, strength, tenacity, composure, and intelligence. At the 39th minute, from outside the 18-yard box I scored the most incredible goal in the top right corner of the net, breaking a tied score. We won!
I wasn’t trying to pray in order to play well during my game. I was praying to feel closer to God.
From that point forward, my season only got better. I played in our undefeated season as well as the state championship game, where we were victorious. I was so grateful for the whole experience.
I’ve also learned two valuable lessons. First, having a perfect, trial-free life doesn’t get you anywhere. We may have difficult moments, but through them all, God is guiding and loving us, and that helps our trust in Him grow. As a result, we overcome these difficult moments.
Second, I was skeptical about whether it is possible to feel the kind of closeness to God that is truly tangible, but that feeling does exist! I may have experienced it only once so far, but it is something I will never forget. And I’m sure I will experience it again. I am so grateful for God and my ability to grow with Him as my guide, caretaker, and friend.