Every athlete knows a good start is important, but it’s the endurance that defines the finish. The same is true in our walk with Christ. Some days faith feels like a sprint; full of fire, passion, and energy. Other days, it feels more like a marathon; long, slow, and testing every muscle in your soul. But Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to “run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Endurance doesn’t come from sheer willpower. It comes from daily, quiet faithfulness. Showing up when you’re tired. Choosing discipline when you’d rather quit. Leaning on Jesus when you don’t feel strong. Just like in training, consistency in the small moments builds strength over time. You might not feel like you’re growing, but every step forward counts.
For coaches, endurance looks like loving your players even on tough days. For athletes, it might look like showing up to practice with a good attitude after a tough loss. For anyone involved in sports ministry, it means staying rooted in your why, knowing that this is Kingdom work, not just competition.
The Value of Sports in God’s Design
One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the ability to learn through movement, challenge, and play. Sports have a unique way of shaping our hearts and our character. They push us into moments of pressure we might never experience otherwise. They reveal what’s in us, the good and the not so good, and give us a chance to grow.
As someone who’s coached and served as a Sports Pastor for more than 20 years, I’ve seen firsthand how valuable the world of sports can be in a person’s life. On the surface, it might look like just a game. But beneath the scoreboards and highlight reels, something much deeper is taking place. Sports have a way of developing endurance, humility, and resilience, qualities essential to both life and faith.
Through sports, we learn how to deal with striking out, missing the big play, or falling short of our goals. We learn how to respond when things don’t go our way. And perhaps most importantly, we learn that failure isn’t final, it’s part of the journey. We can embrace this and know that through failure we’re learning valuable lessons.
Failure is a part of life, yet we live in a culture that often tries to protect people, especially kids from ever having to face failure. Parents and coaches, with the best intentions, want to shield their children or players from disappointment. But as believers, we need to remember and embrace that through failure we’re learning valuable lessons, that sometimes can only be taught through adversity.
A muscle only grows stronger when it’s broken down first and then built back up. The same is true for our faith. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort; it happens in resistance. It’s in the hard moments, the missed shot, the bench time, the losing season that God shapes our hearts and leads us into a greater relationship with Him.
Connecting Faith and Sports
Over the years, I’ve watched how connecting faith and sports can change lives. When a church embraces sports ministry, it opens a new door for outreach, a truly non-threatening way to invite people into a relationship with God. You don’t have to step behind a pulpit to share the Gospel sometimes, it happens between innings or in the huddle after a game.
For parents and coaches, sports ministry provides an incredible opportunity to model faith in real time. You get to show grace after a bad call, integrity when no one’s watching, and compassion when a player is struggling. Those small, seemingly ordinary moments often make the biggest impact.
And for the players, it’s about more than competition, it’s about seeing God move in every part of life. Whether it’s hitting a home run, making a great pass, or cheering on a teammate, every moment can be an act of worship when our hearts are set on Him.
The world tries to separate faith from sports. We see it in the way pro athletes are marketed, celebrated, and consumed. But any believer who’s spent time on the field or court knows the truth: faith and sports are deeply connected. Our faith shapes how we compete, how we lead, and how we respond to both victory and defeat. It reminds us that our ultimate goal isn’t a trophy or a title, it’s finishing the race well and hearing our Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Sports as a Reflection of Life
Overall, sports often mirror the journey of life. They teach us that success doesn’t come overnight and that growth happens through persistence. They remind us to enjoy the journey like the practices, the early mornings, the tough losses and to trust that God is working in all of it.
When we train our bodies, we understand the importance of repetition, effort, and consistency. The same principles apply to spiritual training. We grow through prayer, Scripture, worship, and community. We might not always feel like we’re improving, but every small act of faith builds spiritual muscle.
In both sports and faith, we’re not called to an easy path, we’re called to a meaningful one. God doesn’t promise a life full of prosperity, comfort, or endless wins. He calls us to Himself. To trust Him in the valleys and celebrate with Him on the mountaintops. To run with endurance, not because the race is easy, but because He’s worth it.
Encouragement for the Journey
If you’re an athlete, keep showing up. Let your sport be your mission field. Let every rep, every game, every conversation be an opportunity to reflect Jesus. If you’re a coach, lead with love and integrity. You have the privilege of shaping hearts, not just skill sets. If you’re a parent, cheer loud, but pray louder. Let your kids see that faith is bigger than any scoreboard. If you’re involved in sports ministry, stay encouraged. You are doing Kingdom work and every connection, every camp, every conversation matters.
Our endurance as believers isn’t measured by how fast we start, but by how faithfully we finish. The race will get hard. There will be moments you’ll want to slow down or give up. But keep your eyes on Jesus. Because when He is our focus, we find the strength to keep going and run our race well.
Josh Merrill is executive director of Eternity Sports, whose mission is to connect and grow Churches and Christian athletes/coaches—and inspire them to impact their game for eternity, www.eternitysports.com.
