Excuses Don’t Build Champions

One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that we don't have enough time. We tell ourselves we'll start lifting after vacation, update our recruiting profile after the next tournament, send those emails when life settles down, or spend more time with God once our schedule opens up. The problem is that life never really slows down. There will always be another practice, another assignment, another work shift, another family obligation, and another distraction competing for our attention. If discipline depends on having the perfect circumstances, discipline will never develop because perfect circumstances don't exist.

Athletes tell me all the time how badly they want to play college volleyball, but their actions tell a different story. Their highlight video hasn't been updated in a year. Their NCSA or SportsRecruits profiles are incomplete. Coaches have responded to emails that still haven't been answered. They haven't measured their touch points in months, haven't uploaded their transcripts, and haven't reached back out to schools they were excited about a few weeks earlier. Then they wonder why recruiting has gone quiet. Here's the truth: college coaches aren't just evaluating talent. They're evaluating maturity, consistency, and whether they can trust you. If you can't consistently manage the recruiting process, why should a coach believe you'll consistently show up for lifts, study hall, practice, and everything else that comes with being a college athlete?

The same thing happens in the weight room. Everybody wants to jump higher, move faster, and become stronger, but very few people stay committed once the excitement wears off. Missing one workout doesn't seem like a big deal until one turns into three, three turns into two weeks, and two weeks become another offseason that slipped away. Improvement rarely disappears because of one bad decision. It disappears because we repeatedly choose comfort over consistency and then convince ourselves that tomorrow will somehow be different.

If we're honest, many of us approach our relationship with God the same way. We want stronger faith without spending time in His Word. We want peace while neglecting prayer. We want God to direct our steps while rarely slowing down long enough to listen. We ask Him to open doors, bless our efforts, and grow our character while resisting the very disciplines He uses to accomplish those things. Spiritual maturity has never happened by accident. Just like athletic development, it requires consistency long after motivation fades.

My good friend Kenny B. has a saying that’s stuck with me: “Never make long-term decisions based on temporary emotions.” I think that perfectly captures what Paul was getting at when he compared the Christian life to an athlete in training. Great athletes don’t become great because they train only when they feel motivated. They become great because they’ve already decided that the goal is more important than temporary comfort or fleeting emotions. They understand that discipline is doing what needs to be done even when nobody is watching and especially when they don’t feel like doing it. As followers of Christ, we’re called to live with that same mindset. Our emotions are real, but they were never meant to direct our obedience because they’ll change from one day to the next. Our commitment to Christ, however, should remain constant regardless of how we feel.

One of the biggest problems in our culture is that we've become comfortable celebrating intentions instead of actions. We applaud people for talking about goals, posting motivational quotes, and saying they want something badly enough, but wanting something has never produced results. Nobody accidentally becomes stronger. Nobody accidentally earns a scholarship. Nobody accidentally grows closer to Christ. Those things are the product of thousands of small decisions that nobody else sees. Every workout you almost skipped, every recruiting email you almost didn't send, every chapter of Scripture you almost ignored, and every commitment you chose to keep instead of postpone is shaping the person you're becoming.

Scripture tells us in Colossians 3:23 that whatever we do, we should work wholeheartedly as for the Lord and not for men. That means our standard isn't determined by what everyone else is doing. It isn't determined by what our teammates, classmates, or coworkers think is acceptable. Our standard is Christ. As coaches and athletes who claim to follow Him, we should be the last people making excuses and the first people taking responsibility. Excellence isn't about perfection. It's about faithfully stewarding what God has placed in front of us today instead of constantly talking about what we'll do tomorrow.

Before you ask God for a bigger opportunity, ask yourself whether you've been faithful with the opportunities He's already given you. Before you pray for more playing time, another scholarship offer, or greater influence, ask whether your daily habits reflect someone prepared to handle those blessings. God often develops our character before He expands our platform because talent may open a door, but character determines whether we're ready to walk through it.

At the end of the day, the greatest obstacle to your growth probably isn't your coach, your competition, your schedule, or your circumstances. More often than not, it's the version of yourself that keeps negotiating with comfort, making excuses, and postponing what you already know needs to be done. God has called us to something higher. He has called us to be disciplined when it's difficult, consistent when it's repetitive, persistent when progress feels slow, and accountable even when nobody else is watching. That's the standard of an athlete. More importantly, that's the standard of a disciple.