I live for glory—not the everyday, ordinary glory from people or things, but glory from God. It is easy as athletes and coaches to get caught up in receiving glory, because it comes from so many sources. A recent FCA theme was “For the Glory.” An easy way for me to remember to give God the glory is to break down the theme into FOR—Focus, Obey, and Reflect.

Focus: My focus as an athlete determines my destiny. It is a daily battle to be either a “me monster” or a “God pleaser.” Hebrews 12:2 encourages us to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we focus on Jesus, the glory will go to Him, not us.

Obey: God desires us to find out what pleases Him (Ephesians 5:8). If we love Him, we will obey His Word. It is essential that athletes obey their coaches. I have a saying with my kids called “first-time listening.” Once, as I was watching my daughter obey the first time she was asked, God said to me, “Do you listen to me the way your daughter listens to you?” For the glory to be truly God’s, our “first-time listening” is vital.

Reflect: Bottom line—we are either a sponge or mirror. We either soak up the glory that God deserves or we reflect it. As athletes, we should compete like we have a mirror over our heads so that when Jesus looks down, He sees Himself.