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In volleyball, or in any sport, running a timed mile is not unusual. The other day I had butterflies in my stomach wondering if I could make it in the eight-minute time frame. If I didn't, I wouldn't even be considered for the team. I was praying for strength and quickness. When the coach said, "Go," and we all began, the words "strive, stretch, strain, succeed" began running repeatedly through my head.
I had the great privilege of knowing Prentice Gautt, who passed away March 17, 2005. He was a wonderful human being. Prentice Gautt was the first black athlete to play football at Oklahoma University. He began playing there in 1956. He was two-time all conference in both 1958 and 1959. Not only was he a great runner; he was a fierce blocker.
No matter where we are in the coaching ranks of our team or sport, there are times when we are called upon to step up to the next level. This call can be both a source of excitement and great fear. Will I succeed in this new challenge? Will I lead the team to a winning season? Will God be glorified if I accept this new position?
Joshua surely asked questions like these and many more besides. He was a faithful man, a type of assistant coach over the Israelites under the direction of Moses. When Moses died, Joshua had to step up and lead God’s people. Needless to say, this was a daunting challenge because the Promised Land was yet to be conquered. So God eased his fears with some encouraging commands.
One of the worst feelings in sports is losing after having a big lead. Most of us have been a part of a game in which we got ahead early and then watched a victory slip away. We never see it coming because we become so comfortable with the position we’ve gained that we assume we’re not vulnerable and we slack off. Maybe we play around with the ball in the backfield, or we slow our pace. We might even quit completely or forget some of the fundamentals of the game because of how blind we’ve become.
Growing up with two older brothers meant I never got anything new. I was always dished secondhand items:clothes, sporting equipment, and toys. My big day came when I was eight years old and my dad bought me a new lacrosse stick. It was a glorious moment. The lacrosse stick glowed from newness. That experience marked me as a young athlete. It passed through my hands first—not second, third, or fourth!
God does not want our secondhand glory. Secondhand glory is taking credit when God should be getting the credit first. It is subtle. As athletes, it is easy to take credit because we are always getting it from teammates, coaches, and fans.
Every season, coaches and players alike try to figure out the “secret formula” for winning a championship. Throughout my years as a player and coach, I’ve learned that every championship team has one thing in common. That one thing is not talent, it’s not size and it’s not intelligence. Time and time again, the common denominator of a championship team is a servant heart. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to believers. Even Jesus, the King of Kings, spent His entire life serving others. Sometimes He served others by listening to them. Sometimes He encouraged them. Sometimes He washed their feet. Ultimately, He served us all by dying on the cross.
When I played football as an 8 year old, I remember parents pulling their cars up and shining their lights on the field when practice ran late. As players, we saw the light.
As athletes we need to SEE the light. SEE stands for Sleep, Eat, and Exercise. This kind of light deals with our God-created bodies. Many competitors train hard on the field, but not off it. As true competitors, we need to get enough sleep, eat right, and exercise properly. These three physical anchors are extremely important.
When trying to SEE the light, we need to ask:
“How much sleep do I need?” Since the physical affects the spiritual and emotional, if we do not sleep, other areas of life will suffer. When we are tired, we cannot be the athletes God desires.
After having a fairly rough day teaching, my wife calmly reminded me that I must see the children in the same light as God sees me. He is patient and loving with me, even though I am underserving of His favor. I must continuously remind myself that the children I teach and coach should be shown that same favor from me.
There are times that I simply want to lose all my cool and let those who are around me simply know how frustrated I am with them and how pitiful I feel they are. Does God feel that way towards me? I feel God is the most patient, forgiving, gracious being as He showed through Jesus Christ. Forgive them seven times? "Forgive them seventy times seven" Jesus says.
I pray I have that strength to be as patient and forgiving as He.
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!
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