I Am Forgiven by Providence
I’m so thankful to have people who continually remind me that while the sport is something I do, it is not who I am.
Hi, I’m Providence, and I am forgiven.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on my why in wrestling. During the Journal Your Journey challenge at Victory, I found myself struggling to begin my entries. Coach Kevin shared a simple way to start: Who am I? Why do I wrestle? Why do I exist?
I realized they all pointed back to one thing: my identity.
For a long time, I have allowed circumstances, results, and even other people’s opinions to influence how I see myself. Wrestling is a huge part of my life, but it is not who I am. Before I am a wrestler I am a forgiven child of God.
When I started answering the question “Who am I?” I began with the truths God says about me. God says I am forgiven. God says I am loved. God says I am chosen. Those truths do not change based on how I feel or perform.
This season, I found myself falling into negative mindsets before tournaments and matches. The thoughts I carried into competition often shaped my attitude for the rest of the day. My coaches challenged me to change the words I was speaking over myself. They asked me to find a phrase or mantra. Coach Austen shared the acronym FEAR: Face Everything and Rise. Coach Precious reminded me that darkness cannot survive where there is light. And Coach Ali encouraged me to “Be the light.”
As I reflected on those ideas before sectionals the same thing kept showing up in my head: the rising sun.
No matter how dark the night is, the sun still rises. No matter how difficult a loss feels, tomorrow comes. No matter how many times I fall short, I have another opportunity to get back up.
That is why I chose the phrase, “The sun will still rise tomorrow, I will rise again.” based off Ecclesiastes 1:5, “The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.”
It reminds me that my identity is not found in a moment, a match, or a mistake. It reminds me that God’s mercies are new every morning and that I am capable of getting back up and continuing forward.
My why in wrestling is because I love who the sport challenges me to become. Wrestling exposes weaknesses so they can become strengths. It pushes me to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Most importantly, I’m so thankful to have people who continually remind me that while the sport is something I do, it is not who I am.