Breaking Free From the Pressure of Sports: Faith Over Performance & Playing With Purpose

Kaase Levell
3 days ago
6 min read

Club volleyball? Travel soccer? Dance competitions every weekend? Girl, I know the grind. But let me ask you — when’s the last time you played just because you loved it? If the jersey feels heavier than your joy right now, this episode is for you.

Hey, friend. Okay, let’s just take a deep breath together. In through the nose… out through the mouth.

This episode? It’s going to be a little bit like a heart-to-heart.

Like if we were sitting in a coffee shop, just the two of us, messy bun, oversized hoodie, iced chai in hand, and I finally looked at you and said: “Girl… this whole thing? It’s a lot, isn’t it?” I’m talking about club volleyball. Club soccer. Competitive dance. Travel basketball. You name it.

The thing you used to love — the thing that lit you up — suddenly feels like the thing consuming your entire life. And honestly? You’re exhausted.

Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually.

And you don’t even know how to say that out loud, because you don’t want to sound ungrateful or weak.

But deep down… you're tired. So today — let’s talk about it. Let’s name it. Let’s break it open.And let’s find some freedom on the other side.

SEGMENT 1: The Shift You Never Saw Coming

Let’s rewind a little, shall we? Remember when you first started playing? You were little. Hair in a ponytail. The gym was huge and kind of intimidating, but fun. You had no clue what "zones" were or what a libero even did. You just loved the game.

You loved playing. Competing. Being on a team. You loved how it made you feel — strong, confident, free.

But somewhere along the way, it started to shift. Tryouts got political. Teams got cliquey.

Coaches got opinionated. Parents got intense. Weekends disappeared. Your schedule filled up. Your shoulders got heavier. And suddenly… this thing you loved became the thing defining your entire world.

Who you are.

How people see you.

Whether you feel “enough.”

Can I just say something to you that maybe no one else has?

You are not a jersey.

You are not a position.

You are not the A team or the B team or the team that didn’t even email you back.

You are a whole, beautiful, radiant, deeply-loved girl who has been hand-crafted by God — not for performance, but for purpose.

And His purpose?

It’s not measured in stats.

It’s not determined by playing time.

It doesn’t vanish because a coach didn’t notice you.

SEGMENT 2: The Silent Toll It Takes

Let’s talk about the toll. Not just the money — though, wow, let’s not pretend club sports aren’t wild expensive. Let’s talk about the real cost.

Your peace. Your identity. Your freedom to just be a teenager. Because when you’re juggling tournaments, private lessons, strength training, homework, pressure to be recruited, pressure to “show well,” pressure to stay mentally tough — it’s no wonder you feel like you're always on the edge of breaking.

And that’s not even the full story. Your siblings are living this too. The little brother who spends every weekend sitting in freezing gyms eating overpriced popcorn.

The older sister who gives up family trips because your tournaments always come first. The parents who are trying to stretch every dollar and still show up with snacks, hotel bookings, and endless energy.

Everyone’s being dragged through the mud of your dream.

And that’s not a guilt trip — not at all.

That’s just real. That’s what happens when one dream starts to take up all the air in the room.

And listen, maybe no one’s said this yet, but I will:

It’s okay to say it’s too much. You’re allowed to name it. You’re allowed to be tired. You’re allowed to wonder if this is still worth it.

Because if something is costing you your peace, your health, your joy, and your connection to God — what are we even doing?

SEGMENT 3: Honoring Your Temple

Let me remind you what God says about you — your body, your mind, your soul:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

That doesn’t just mean “be pure” or “eat healthy.”It means honor the whole of you.

Your rest. Your rhythm. Your mental health. Your emotions.

It means protecting your joy.

It means checking in with your heart.

It means saying no to things that slowly drain you of who you were created to be.

And it means remembering this:

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”– Matthew 11:28

Jesus didn’t say, “Come to me if you’ve got a college offer lined up.”

He didn’t say, “Come to me after you prove yourself.”He said, Come as you are.

Come tired. Come burned out. Come heartbroken. And I will give you rest.

You don’t have to keep earning your worth.

You already have it.

SEGMENT 4: You Have Permission

So let me give you the permission maybe you’ve been waiting for — even if you didn’t know it.

You have permission to walk away.

To take a break.

To try something new.

To not have a “next level.”

To choose peace.

You have permission to say:

“This sport doesn’t get to own me anymore.”

“This dream has taken more than it’s given lately.”

“This season of life is too sacred to keep losing myself in a system that doesn’t even see me.”

That’s not quitting.

That’s courage.

SEGMENT 5: Playing With Purpose

But maybe that’s not your story right now.Maybe you’re listening and thinking, “Actually… I still love this. I can’t imagine not playing. I want to keep going no matter the cost.”

Girl — that’s beautiful too.

Because Scripture reminds us in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

If you’re still in the game — if this is what makes you come alive, if this is the place you feel God’s pleasure when you play — then play with everything you’ve got. Pour yourself into it.

Show up with grit, with joy, with excellence. Let your sweat be worship. Let your discipline be devotion. Let your teammates see Jesus in the way you compete.

And hear me clearly: you don’t need to apologize for loving the game. You don’t need to feel guilty that you’re still chasing it. If this is what lights you up, run after it with freedom.

Just remember — even if it’s the thing you want to do forever, it still can’t be your whole identity. You are more than your stats. You are more than your highlight reel.

And if this game is truly the love of your life right now, that’s okay — just let God shine through it.

So go. Play hard. Dream big. Give it your all.But never forget: the jersey may be what you wear, but it’s not who you are.

And let me be crystal clear:

If you’re still in it — still showing up, still grinding, still holding on because you know there’s purpose in the fight — I love that for you. I’m cheering for you all

the way.

But if your body is breaking down, your joy is disappearing, and your heart is aching every single week? You’re not stuck. You’re not a failure. You’re not less-than if you step away.

You’re brave.

CLOSING: You Are So Much More

Before we go, let me say this again.Let it sink all the way down: You are not a jersey. You are not a sport. You are not the tournament result.

You are not what one coach did or didn’t see in you. You are God’s. Beautifully and wonderfully made. Chosen. Held. Enough. And nothing — nothing — can take that away.

So whether you stay or go, whether you win or lose, whether you start or sit…

You are valuable.

You are loved.

You are enough.

This game might be a part of your life.

But it should never become your whole life.

Take a deep breath, babe.

You’ve got time.

You’ve got choices.

And you’ve got people — including me — who love you no matter what.

We’ll talk soon, okay?

But for now — go rest. Go laugh. Go be little again, even just for a moment.