Lindsey Vonn and Letting Go of the Competitive Athlete Attitude this Lent

During the Olympics earlier this month, U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn chose to compete despite having suffered a torn ACL a few weeks prior. During her first competition, Vonn turned too aggressively and hooked a gate with her right arm, sending her tumbling down the mountain and fracturing her leg, an injury that will require multiple surgeries to fix. Skiers have competed with torn ACLs before, and Vonn said that hers had nothing to do with the injury she suffered during competition. During Lent, we strive to let go of the attitude of the competitive athlete, the attitude that says that we need to do things to push ourselves to the absolute limit in order to be fulfilled and happy. Instead, we work to surrender ourselves to God and His will for us, letting go of things that might be harmful to us physically or spiritually and taking care of ourselves as His valuable creatures. We must also let go of the idea that we are self-sufficient and in charge of our own lives.

Competitive athletes work tirelessly toward the highest honors in their sports, and when they want to keep going in defiance of their body and what is best for them, it can be hard to say no. This is primarily caused by ego and pride, as well as a desire for one’s legacy as one of the greats to be cemented. This is contrasted with what should be the attitude of a Christian, that of humility and obedience to God, associating with the lowly and not seeking honors that are beyond us. There’s nothing wrong with competing, but we need to know and respect our limits even if it might cost us a certain title or award. We need to realize that God is in charge and He knows what is best for us. When we do this, we realize that His ways are best and it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what is happening in our lives and what He is calling us to learn.

Even if we aren’t competitive athletes, Lent is a great time to work on letting go of our pride and feelings of self-sufficiency and learn to cling to God and humble ourselves in our everyday life. Fasting and prayer are of course the backbone of this and will support us as we strive to reach complete dependency on God. We can also pray the Litany of Humility and make acts of trust throughout the day. Jesus relied completely on His Father and overcame temptations to be self-sufficient, as we read in the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent. As we journey through this season, let us use our penances and prayers to help us learn to do the same.