According to society’s standards, a coach’s status is based on his or her win-loss record. Unfortunately, a coach’s personal worth is often tied into this same evaluation. The scoreboard is a clear-cut way to determine playoff selections, but it is a dangerous barometer for a coach to use as the measure of personal success. 

Feeling down after a losing season, I sought out one of my coaching mentors to discuss my disappointment. He asked if I knew his record from the past season. I apologized that I hadn’t followed his season. To my surprise, he informed me of his 11-1 record and a junior college bowl championship! He then asked if I cared about him, since I hadn’t followed his team’s record during the past season. “I certainly do care about you!” I responded. My respect for him was based on who he was as a person, not his football success. “Then why are you in a funk because of last year’s losing season?” he asked.

Jesus also provided a unique perspective on success through the story of Mary and Martha. While Martha was busy fulfilling the perceived demands of the moment, Mary sat listening to Jesus. Martha was upset by her sister’s lack of help and asked Jesus to tell Mary to lend a hand. Jesus answered by pointing her to what mattered more than worldly accomplishments: a relationship with Him. That’s why He came to Earth: to die a death we should have died so that we could have new life in Him! The rewards of a winning record can be taken away by one “bad” year. But true success—an intimate relationship with God through Jesus—can never be taken away, because of the cross. We all are successful if we are in Christ!