Why God Makes You Wait Even When You're Doing Everything Right

Navigating the Waiting Period: Faith and Patience in Sports

In this episode, Olympic sprinter and Christian mentor Ronnie Baker addresses the challenges athletes face during the waiting periods of their careers. Drawing on his own experiences, Ronnie emphasizes that waiting is not a punishment but a time for preparation and refinement. He encourages athletes to commit to long-term goals despite not seeing immediate results, and to reframe their mindsets from feeling held back to being built up. By using biblical examples and parables, he explains how faithfulness in unseen seasons leads to greater responsibilities and eternal rewards. Ronnie provides practical steps for athletes to utilize their waiting periods effectively and underscores the importance of trusting God's timing. He concludes with a prayer, reinforcing the message that significance does not require being in the spotlight.

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Transcript

Ronnie Baker 0:00

If God called you, why are you still on the bench? He's the third fastest man. Welcome to Defeat is Option. Here comes Ronnie Baker, 9 77. Baker's running away with this one. Surely they can't get back to it. In your journey, the greatness defeat is never the final answer. It's a choice. So let's get to work. Hey, I'm Ronnie Baker, your favorite Olympic sprinter and Christian mentor discipling you on how to navigate your faith in your sport In today's episode, we're gonna talk about the waiting period. Every athlete knows the feeling. You're grinding behind the scenes. You're showing up to practice, you're putting in all the work, you're doing all the small things, you're doing extra things right, that nobody sees. But yet you're not getting the reps in practice or in games. You're not getting the recognition, you're not getting the minutes. You are not getting the reward you thought you would've had by now. And in those seasons, your mind starts playing tricks on you. My mind's done this to me too. You start saying, Maybe this just isn't for me. Maybe I should do a different sport. Maybe I should do a different event. Maybe I should play a different position. But hear me out, the bench is not punishment, it's preparation. if you ever watch the US Open, there's a banner right before the players go out and it says, pressure is a privilege. And you now have pressure. You have pressure to get a starting spot, and in that pressure you get refined. In that time where you're waiting for your chance, you get refined. So the process of refinement. In this instance, it's called delayed gratification, and it's your ability to stay committed to a long-term goal despite not seeing immediate results. And let me just tell you, for any of you guys that are high school athletes, college athletes out there, what I'm gonna tell you right now is that most kids nowadays do not have the patience to stay consistent due to the same mundane things over and over again. And all you have to do to separate yourself is be willing to commit. To delay gratification and the long-term process, if you can wrap your head around that. I believe you can go far. In today's world, we've been conditioned by culture to believe that visibility equals value. So basically, if I'm not seen, I must be insignificant. If you're not making the headlines, If you don't get interviewed, If you're not posting the flashy Instagram reel, guess what? You seem like you're not in the spotlight, so you seem insignificant. This is what culture tells us. It's what it's taught us. But guess what? I'll tell you this, that God's not impressed with spotlight. As a matter of fact, he shines brighter than anything you could ever do. Luke 1610 says, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much faithfulness in the unseen seasons is how God develops leaders, warriors, and champions. For instance, David was not anointed king while fighting. He was faithful tending sheep. This is where he was being built up. Joseph was elevated, not in a palace. But he was put in prison and that's where he was elevated. And Jesus himself didn't do public miracles for over 30 years. He started his ministry at the age of 30. waiting seasons are the most necessary part of your sanctification journey to be more like Christ. It's the place where your character gets built. And I will tell you just in life the waiting. The trials, the hardships, that is where your character gets built. That is where you grow as an individual, so do not take for granted. The times where you feel like you're in a setback, where you feel like you're not performing well, where you feel like you're not getting your shot. These are the chances and the times where you can really grow and develop. but let's take it spiritual and a little deeper. And Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about a nobleman who leaves his servants with money while he goes to receive a kingdom. when the nobleman returns, he evaluates how they've used what they were given, how they've used the money that he gave them before he left. The one who multiplied his gift was rewarded with authority over 10 cities. The one who hid his gift that was given one talent, he had his taken away. And the reason is because he did not do anything with it. He hid it and when the nobleman came back, he presented the one token that he had given him and he took his token and he gave it to the one who had 10. So the message is pretty clear here. God rewards faithfulness with more responsibility. Luke 1917 says, and he said to him, well done. Good servant. This is the nobleman talking to his servant. Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over 10 cities. Trust is earned and more responsibility is given. When we go and we steward our gifts well. This servant that was given a five, multiplied into 10. And a lot of society will tell you, and a lot of the world will tell you that once you work really hard and you achieve something, then you have time to rest. You can relax. And the reality is that Christ gives us more responsibility when he knows that he can trust us. The key takeaway is that God rewards faithfulness with more responsibility. When you steward your gift, God doesn't just give you more of the same. He entrusts you with greater influence, larger assignments, and expanded capacity, This parable crushes the idea that small roles don't matter because the servant who was faithful with very little was promoted into kingdom leadership. And notice how I said kingdom leadership and not the starting position on the team or the team captain. Or are you finally getting the minutes that you've been working hard for? You have to remember that your faithfulness is rewarded with kingdom rewards, not earthly ones. When you're faithful with the expectancy that you'll get an earthly reward, your faith will get weak. You'll feel exhausted, and you can feel defeated in the waiting. So our expectancy and our heart is on Eternal rewards. That's what giving God the glory through your gifts looks like it's stewarding it well with our eyes on sanctification and eternal rewards that last forever. Don't forget that. there have been times in my career where I felt ready, but the opportunity didn't come. It's like watching everyone else get their moment, get their medal. Get their championship while you're on the sideline God, did you forget about me? I've been working super hard, but here's what I learned in those quiet spaces. God's delays are not his denials. And silence doesn't mean absence. It means development. I've grown tremendously as a man of God from all of the waiting and feeling like I've been overlooked. The world may have overlooked me, but God didn't. And he's doing the same thing with you. If you feel overlooked, I can tell you one person that's not overlooking you, Jesus Christ himself. What he's been doing is he's been molding me and shaping me into the man he needs me to be. Not to win one day, but to win people over for his kingdom. And because of my bench period or my waiting period, I'm more developed than I ever thought I would be at this point in my life. It takes a while to understand that. But the spiritual awards are much better, Everything we have is a gift from God, and we must recognize that we are stewards of our resources, not owners. God will call us to give an account for how we have managed our money, our possessions, our spiritual gifts, our relationships, and our time. And he will reward or judge his people accordingly. Alright, so here's your spiritual challenge. Let's flip the script on your season on this waiting period. Step one, let's identify the bench. What area of your life feels delayed or unseen right now? What is that for you? What do you feel like you've been waiting a long time for? What feels delayed in your life? Write that down. Step two. I want you to reframe it. Instead of saying, I'm being held back. Start saying I'm being built up. And step three, you have to get practical. Ask yourself, what can I do in this quiet season that will prepare me for the next one? Then do it. Be faithful with what's right in front of you. This is one of the biggest lessons I've learned through all the injuries, through all the setbacks I've had to learn and understand that. God has me here by design. And he is the one that never messes up. He can't make a mistake in my life, and he can't make a mistake in yours. And so wherever you are, whatever waiting period you're in, trust that he's got your back. So let me pray for you. God, I've been frustrated by this season. I don't always understand your timing, but I trust you. Help me to stay faithful in the unseen moments. Remind me that you're building something in me that the world doesn't even see yet, and when it's time, I'll be ready. amen. You don't have to be seen to be significant. Remember that. Be faithful in the quiet and let God set the stage for your life, for your career, for your sports, for your actions, for your wins, for your losses, for everything. Guys, if this encouraged you today, share it with another athlete who needs to hear this. And if you're still trying to figure out how to balance faith in sport, I'm gonna let you know right now that you're not alone. I'm still doing it myself as a professional athlete, so keep showing up, keep trusting God. And remember, defeat is optional when your hope is in him. I'm Ronnie Baker and I'll see you in the next one.