Often when I wake up in the morning, and I am just lying there trying to convince myself to get out of bed, thoughts start popping into my mind of mistakes, failures, and stupid things I did in the past.

It’s a great way to start the day, rehearsing a lifetime of failures and what-ifs in my mind.

Some are sins, but most are not.

This morning I had the wonderful opportunity to review a stupid thing I said to a person that probably happened 40+ years ago. The whole incident, which took place at a church conference and lasted about 30 seconds, just flashed into my mind.

Am I the only one who does this and perhaps most importantly why am I doing this?

I suspect that part of it is due to the fact that I have not fully embraced who I am in Christ.

In some ways, I still identify who I am as a person and a Christian by what I do and accomplish. And because of this vulnerability, the demonic realm can send darts of things I did in the past to beat me down.

This morning I saw a great article about Tim Tebow, a Christian sports broadcaster and author, on Christian Headlines.

As a quarterback for the Florida Gators, Tebow won a Heisman trophy in 2007 as the best player in college. He also led his team to two national college football championships in 2006 and 2008.

But from a spiritual perspective, perhaps his most important game was an embarrassing loss he experienced in the final game of his final year of college ball against Alabama.

Alabama won that game 32-13.

It was a crucial game as the loss prevented Florida from advancing to the national championship and some believe stopped Tebow from winning another Heisman that year. Alabama running back, Mark Ingram, would go on to win the Heisman.

In a recent post on Instagram, Tebow talked about how he and other athletes often struggle with rehearing their past failures and losses:

“As athletes, sometimes it’s the missed opportunities, the mistakes, and the losses that stick with you more than all the wins and great plays. Sometimes they truly hurt more. I spent so much of my life striving for wins and agonizing over losses, not that there is anything wrong with wanting to win a game. But when that game becomes your identity, you can’t help but ride the rollercoaster of all the highs and lows.”

But then he posted that through these mistakes and the losses, he has learned that his identity is in Christ. He no longer needs to ride the rollercoaster of highs and lows defined by his successes and failures:

“Over the years and thanks to many mistakes, I’ve had the chance to learn and constantly be reminded that my identity is so much more than a game! I’m grateful, through God’s grace, our identity doesn’t have to be a roller coaster, but we get the firm foundation of who He is and what He’s done for us on the cross. We aren’t defined by our mistakes or our scars. We’re defined by His.”

Our identity is in Christ.

READ: Tim Tebow Recalls Lesson from Devastating Loss: Jesus, Not Football, Is ‘My Identity’