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My dad was a simple man. I know he did not have a resume or belonged any major civic, political or religious organizations or did things to impress the boss. I do know that he got on his kness and prayed almost daily. He provided for his family, took pride in his work as a city employee and loved baseball. This July 25th he would've celebrated his 82nd birthday.
At some point, we have all lost our keys or our wallet. It can be very frustrating. After a while, we begin to make a strong effort to find what is lost. I have spent hours or days searching for something that was missing. I go into “search and rescue” mode, thinking, Those things are valuable to my life and I’ve got to find them!
There are times in coaching when we doubt our abilities to handle a specific match, tournament, or season. Doubt can come up from behind and tackle us after a string of bad games or hit us as after a single loss. We have seen potential in our players and ourselves, but we are unable to explain why the season is going the way it is. This is particularly difficult when we have a strong and personal relationship with our players. We begin to question our abilities to coach and lead our teams. Once we get to this point of self-doubt, it is hard to climb out, and that is exactly where God wants to get us so we will have faith in him rather than in ourselves.
When most sport seasons end, numbers get crunched. It’s easy for coaches to get caught up in the numbers game, especially as the media highlights our career wins, our titles, and our Coach of the Year awards. However, any true coach knows records are not the important thing; what matters is having the opportunity to work with athletes, to make a difference in their lives. Coaches, like players, make a lot of sacrifices to develop winning teams, but most will tell you those sacrifices and successes are for the athletes, for the joy of watching players mature and grow.
Discussion:
Summary:
Ask a coach to list the qualities of a complete player and discipline is always in the list. A disciplined player has a work ethic that sets him or her apart. He or she makes a strong player, but not always a strong person. It’s amazing how many NFL players leave the league bankrupt, divorced, or addicted to alcohol or other drugs. While many NFL players show extreme discipline athletically, some show little discipline in their moral decisions and relationships. The quality they lack is self-control.
In our efforts to achieve high esteem, many of us try to wear the right clothes, drive the right cars, or have the right cell phones. We figure if we have all of the "right" stuff, we will finally feel good about ourselves. We think our teammates will begin to think we are cool.
The problem with having the right material items is that, in a month, week or even a day’s time, those will no longer be considered cool. That self-image we thought we could purchase will suddenly be gone.
Last summer, as I sat in Yosemite Valley looking up at the famous El Capitan rock formation, I realized that I needed to come to grips with some things that I did not like about myself. I took out a piece of paper, and on it, I made three columns. At the top I wrote “Who am I,” “What do I want to change,” and “How am I going to get there.” As I started to write, I found if difficult to be honest with myself. But after I was done, I realized two vital things: (1) Nothing could happen without Christ, and (2) my days of self-fulfillment needed to end.
When most sport seasons end, numbers get crunched. As coaches, it’s easy for us to get caught up in this number crunching, especially as the media highlights our career wins, the titles we’ve won and the number of “Coach of the Year” awards we’ve received.
But any true coach knows that records are not what are important. Having the opportunity to work with athletes and make a difference in their lives is what is important. Coaches, like players, make a lot of sacrifices to develop winning teams, but most will tell you those sacrifices and successes are for the athletes—for the joy of watching players mature and grow.
1 – Why is selflessness so important to successful teams?
2 – Here’s another angle on this question from John 12:24-25 (read the text aloud).
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