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It has been proven that even identical twins have different DNAs. If that is the case, what is God telling us about our uniqueness? I believe He is telling us to be different, not to conform to the world’s standards, to be in the world but not of the world. I know this is hard and seems to be a paradox, especially in a world where we are told to be a team player—not an individual—or to play, coach, or live for our own agendas.
We love to be the best. As competitors, we want to be the best in everything. Being good is good, but being best is better. We want to go from good to great in every aspect of life. We have to be #1—on and off the field! Nobody remembers the loser. Second place? Seriously? We engage in the relentless pursuit of excellence!
“I Must Be the Best Me” is a principle I believe and live daily. In Luke 12:48 we are told, “to whom much is entrusted, much is required.” No matter what gifts you’ve been given, we must have a desire to be faithful and maximize them. It is essential that we are life-learners who desire to grow and develop. But it doesn’t stop there!
Coaches work hard in preparing their players to do their best and avoid mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes in football is dropping the ball. Typically the team that fumbles the most in a game will lose.
Recently I experienced a back problem that caused me to be in bed for days. A little voice crept in and said, “Why, God? Where are You?” My brother has been diagnosed with cancer. A friend of mine recently lost his sister to cancer. That little voice crept in and said, “Why, God? Where are You?”
I find myself sinning again and that little voice of doubt creeps in, “God doesn’t like sin-you are separated from Him.”
When I was in high school, I ran the 110-meter hurdles. I remember it like it was yesterday—being in the starting blocks, looking down the track through the tunnel of hurdles toward the finish line. Hurdlers and sprinters have a major advantage over longer distance runners in that they can see the finish line from the starting blocks. I see that same dynamic in today’s Scripture.
In the letter to the Hebrews we read, “Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”
Former Dallas Cowboys fullback Ron Springs, who played from 1979 to 1985, had suffered from Type 2 diabetes for 16 years and had spent three on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. To say the least, things were not looking very good until teammate Everson Walls decided to donate one of his kidneys to Springs. After a successful transplant, Springs no longer needed dialysis for the first time in many years.
Everyone wants to win. As coaches, we are probably more conscious of winning than most. After all, many times our livelihood rides on winning and losing. But we must be careful that our desire to win does not become our only emphasis with our athletes. We cannot push our players to win “at all costs.” The great coach John Wooden once said, “I don’t know whether always winning is good. It breeds envy and distrust in others and overconfidence and lack of appreciation very often in those who enjoy it.” How important it is for coaches to walk that fine line between wanting their teams to succeed, and acting as though winning is the only thing.
Young people today are commonly confused by discipline, seeing it as punishment rather than a virtue needed to train effectively. The will or discipline of a competitor can be seen in how he/she perseveres through tough times.
As the coach of a college fall sport, for me, this time of year is a time of looking forward and planning ahead. We've finished reflecting on the past season, we've completed our exit interviews and we've laid out the plans for spring training. Now our attention turns to filling open positions with future recruits and envisioning what the future team will look like. Veterans return from Christmas break ready to embrace the challenge of becoming smarter, better and stronger. New recruits sign on with the hopes of becoming an important part of the future of the program.
In every new season, we are presented with new opportunities, new challenges, new relationships and new realities.
As much as we can predict and plan for life, we never know how things are going to play out. We see this all the time in sports. That’s probably one of the reasons that sports are so great—they’re completely unpredictable.
What a great metaphor for life, too. It’s the same way. How many times are we taken by surprise in a day? From little things like unexpected phone calls or traffic jams, to big, life-altering bombshells like deaths and natural disasters. We just never know what’s coming.
As competitors, we want to be the best in everything. Being good is good, but being best is better. We want to go from good to great in every aspect of life. We have to be #1—on and off the field. Nobody remembers the loser. Second place? Seriously? We engage in the relentless pursuit of excellence!
“Mr. Irrelevant” is an award that started in 1976. It is given to the very last player selected in the NFL Draft. The 2009 “Mr. Irrelevant” award went to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop, who has helped the Chiefs each season since the draft. In 2009 he was pick number 256 in the last round and was given a trophy—the Lowsman Trophy, which is a spoof off of the Heisman Trophy. This trophy actually depicts a player fumbling the ball!
At the draft, he was even given an official NFL jersey with the number 256 and “Mr. Irrelevant” on the back. Can you imagine getting tagged with the title “Mr. Irrelevant”? Basically, people are saying you are not important. I’ve been called many names over the years, but I would struggle with this one.
In the ancient Middle East, there were three ways to obtain water. Digging a well was one way; carving out a cistern was another. Both required hard work and human energy. The third way came naturally, up through the earth, when a spring of water bubbled to the surface. We find in Scripture that such a spring became a picture of God’s grace and provision. Jesus told the woman at the well, “The water I will give him will become like a well of water springing up within him for eternal life” (John 4:14b).
God gives second chances. Actually, God gives us more than just second chances; He gives us millions of chances, because despite our endless mistakes and sins God still loves us. I don’t know about you, but I mess up a lot. Whether it is by having pride, judging others, denying God’s will in my life or giving into temptation, I just cannot seem to stop feeling like I am failing God. After seeming to let God down so many times it is hard to understand that God still has a plan to use me to do His will. But, boy, does He have a plan.
A college coach once said, “The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.” As coaches, we do everything we can to make sure our teams are prepared for the game. We give them training, exercise, motivation, uniforms, and equipment. We want them to succeed and win when they face the opponent. Nothing would be worse than to show up to face an opponent without being prepared.
I was training for a marathon—the beautiful, romantic, epic Paris Marathon. But, because I am a follower of Jesus, each morning begins with God, reading His Word and seeking His heart for the day. From there, I head off to work, where I run on my lunch breaks and then do my long runs on Saturdays.
After Christ, my family is the second-most important thing in my life. Normally I train with my wife, and we relish the time together. This time around, however, my training was going far better than I’d dreamed!
The atmosphere was filled with tension. Players from both teams had been encouraged to protest the game. An outside source was trying to convince players that they were being exploited by big-time college sports. Everyone—including the 74,000 fans watching—was anticipating a conflict, but what people didn’t expect was some risky prayer.
When I was coaching football I was blessed with an opportunity to help at an FCA Football Camp. During one of the coaches’ huddle sessions, our Huddle Leader said, “I tried to coach my players as if one of them would one day become my son-in-law.” That has always stuck with me. And in Mark 12:31, we read that this kind of advice is actually from God Himself.
It was the biggest race of the season. All the runners were ready to go. The rugged course was full of hills and rough terrain, but it was THE race of the year. Every runner was excited to go. With a single shot the runners raced toward the opening in the woods. Early in the race seven runners broke from the pack and came to a fork in the path. The lead runner made the choice and each runner followed in stride.
One thing I love about FCA is how it ties our athletic lives into our faith. A lot of similarities can be drawn between Christianity and sports.
I own a funeral home, and I therefore attend a lot of funerals. One sermon I’ve heard a few times that I really like is about the dash. The dash that is talked about is the dash put on a headstone between the date of birth and the date of death. The point the pastor makes is that what is important is what is lived out in that dash between your date of birth and your date of death.
A while ago, our baseball team played an opponent we should have probably defeated, but we made some costly errors. The following day I was doing my devotion from “The Daily Light Journal” by Anne Graham Lotz. The title was “The Fruit of the Spirit Is…Joy.” That prompted me to think about the joys that had come through even in our team’s struggles: the salvation of a teammate, the development of many young players, the ability to lose and continue to practice hard. The list goes on and on.
When I think of a person who is determined, I think of someone who is strong and resolved; has deep inner convictions that drive their actions; ready to sacrifice; focused on their goal; and not easily distracted. I think of a person who refuses to give in and fights to the end. Teams that are determined will always give it their all. Determination is a great quality if it is for the right reasons.
The Book of Daniel begins with Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem. Defeat happened quickly, and God handed the king of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar who declared defeat of Israel’s God and proclaimed his god, “Marduk,” more powerful. But the game was not over. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, knew that God always wins and chose to trust Him.
As I watch sports today, I get this feeling that too many athletes think they created all the talent they have inside. Jersey popping, chest beatings, and trash talking are all about prideful attitudes that lead to arrogant behaviors on the field. These athletes showcase their demeanor as much as their true talent. God has a better plan.
When God gives us talents and gifts, He wants us to use them—not in some prideful, selfish, ego-driven way, but faithfully to serve others and bring Him glory. Romans 12:6 states that we all have different gifts and are to use them. Many people have gifts but rarely use them, and when they do, it is for their own glory, not God’s. Again, all gifts we have received are God-given, not man-made.
I am training for a marathon—a grueling task that is even more difficult because I’m training alone. Some training runs have been up to 18 miles—all on my own. When I run it’s just me, the trail, and my MP3 player. Before I decided to do the marathon I told God I wanted to run for His glory. With a month of training to go, I realized something had become all too familiar to me. Even when I didn’t have on headphones, I was singing in my head. I had been listening to my MP3 so often that the songs were in my mind all the time. When I focused on the words, I realized something was wrong.
Cell phones . . . how did we live without them? At the touch of our hands, we can be in contact with anyone, anytime, anywhere. What a great communication tool.
As a coach, I used to wish I had cell phone access to my players on the floor. Often they would not hear my voice or would choose to ignore it when they did not like what I said. But if I could have called them during a game, I know they would have answered the phone.
OK, that would be a little strange, but spiritually we have that kind of access. Anytime, anywhere, we have direct, open-line, no-towers-down communication with God through Jesus Christ. It is not long distance, but hopefully a local call if we are in constant contact with Him.
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