Wheaton College Athletics

Preface: As the Track and Field program at Wheaton College, we have the opportunity to carry out our Christian faith as we pursue athletic excellence and develop our abilities in response to the grace that Jesus has shown us. These are the guiding principles of our program to navigate what it looks like to worship and love in our pursuit of following Christ and athletically performing to the best of our abilities. Through the sport of Track and Field, we desire to worship the Lord with dedication to our craft, love for both our teammates and competitors and lastly, by learning to value ourselves not through our results but as children of God who sacrificed the life of his own son for us.

Worship: Everything that we do in life should be done as an act of worship, and participation in track & field on this team should be no exception. Worship is not a matter of what we do or even our level of achievement, but how we do what we do and who we are doing it for. When we apply ourselves wholeheartedly with the intent of offering all of what we do to God, it becomes an act of worship. Worship should be our primary motivation for all we do in life and that includes track. [Acts 17: 23-24 – from him comes life, breath and everything / 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 – we are the temple of the living God / Romans 12:1 – offer your body as a living sacrifice]

Love: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. We will show uncommon love and support for each other in both the good and bad times, the successes and the failures that are part of life and track because Christ first showed uncommon love to us. [1 John 2: 9-11 – Anyone who loves their brother or sister lives in the light / Romans 12:15 – Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep / Romans 8: 38-39 – nothing can separate us from the love of God]

Value: In striving to be the best athletes we can be, we believe that our value is determined by our relationship with Jesus Christ, period. We have no business giving worldly achievements the level of power and position of authority in our lives, effectively making performance an idol. [Jeremiah 17:8 – we are like a tree planted by water / Romans 8:17 – if we are children, then we are heirs, co-heirs with Christ / Ecclesiastes 12:13 – the conclusion is this: fear God and keep his commandments]

Failure: Most of us are too focused on success and failure. We are what we are and can only give the best of what we have on a given day and walk away content with the results. Often, we protect ourselves from disappointment by failing to put forth our best effort. Other times we limit growth by failing to learn from our mistakes. We define failure as committing one or both actions. [Matthew 14: 29-31 – Peter failed but chose to return to Jesus / Philippians 3:12-14– we have not yet arrived, but we will keep pressing on towards the goal / Psalm 73:26 – my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever]

Sharpening: “Iron sharpens iron”. You are part of a community that you need and that needs you. Being on this team should never be considered a singular endeavor but an opportunity and a requirement to help shape and receive the shaping of your teammates. [Proverbs 27:17 – Iron sharpens iron / Ephesians 4:29– let your speech build up those around you / Galatians 6:1-2 –correct each other gently]

Gratitude: In light of God’s incredible goodness to us, we will be a grateful team made up of grateful people. It is an incredible privilege to be on this team and take part in this sport, and we will exhibit a grateful attitude and refuse to feel sorry for ourselves when things do not go the way we hoped. [1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 –Rejoice, pray and give thanks / Psalm 23:5 – my cup runneth over / Colossians 2: 6-7 – since you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, abound with thanksgiving]