A lot of cross-country runners are perfectionists and are driven by outcomes. This is both a blessing and a curse. The athletes I coach often attach value to themselves based on their performance. If they have a great race, they feel good; if they have a bad race, it drags them into a pit of discouragement.

But don’t we all relate to this? Things are going well in our spiritual lives, and we feel good. Then when we fail, we lose perspective of the grace that has been freely given to us in Christ. We forget that we belong to a loving Father. Instead of seeing ourselves through His eyes, we measure ourselves by our performance.

Before important races, I tell my teams that one race does not define them, whether it goes well or poorly. I remind them that regardless of performance—in running, in relationships, in all of life—we belong to God. He loves us and accepts us as we are, never placing higher value on us if we have a good race and never valuing us any less if we have a poor race. His love is unconditional. His grace and mercy abound.