Originally published at National Catholic Register
True peace and purpose come only when we place our identity in our Lord above all worldly identities.
I had a conversation recently with a former professional sports chaplain. We discussed the fact that the lives of many professional athletes fall apart after retirement. Some fall into bankruptcy, addiction, and all kinds of family problems like divorce.
I asked him if he could identify any patterns in the guys who would make it after retirement. From his observations, a key factor was where the athletes found their primary identity: If they saw themselves first and foremost as professional athletes, football players or baseball players, they no longer knew who they were when that was taken from them. But those athletes who found their identity primarily in Christ were able to stay steady through the upheavals in the life of a professional athlete.
I asked him if he had a particular time that he addressed this with the players. He said that it was a constant theme in his preaching. While some athletes talked a good talk, tests came along the way in the form of injuries and when the team would draft another player in their position — little
